Africa's Top International Carrier Ships Second Cargo Plane Full of Food Supplies to Save Lives.

Flying to more countries than any other airline, Turkish Airlines is a leader in terms of international destinations served and Africa's top international carrier with 51 routes in the continent. And now, the award-winning carrier is quickly becoming a leader in giving back to those countries - in some of the challenging places in the world.

Supporting with the group Love Army for Somalia (spearheaded by social media stars Jerome Jarre, Casey Neistat and actor Ben Stiller), Turkish Airlines is involved in delivering aid to fight famine and drought in Somalia. Hundreds of tons of supplies have been delivered to the people of Somalia since the beginning of the movement in March, 2017.

The airline that connects continents, cultures and peoples is a well-known brand with its corporate responsibility projects throughout Africa. Recent projects realized by Turkish Airlines in 24 African countries include building and renovating schools, orphanages, clinics as well as providing education and drilling water wells. Setting up solar panels for clinics situated out of urban areas and cooperating with local authorities and hospitals to provide medical aid are also among Turkish Airlines' corporate responsibility projects.

As the only international airline that flies to Somalia, Turkish Airlines has a unique access to getting much-needed emergency food support to the country, which is suffering from a devastating drought. Millions of children are at immediate risk of severe malnutrition.

When social media celebrity Jerome Jarre sent a Tweet asking Turkish Airlines directly whether they would send a cargo plane filled with food to Somalia, the company responded quickly - with a resounding yes. That first delivery took place in March, where 60 tons of nutritional supplements designed specifically for kids were sent to Mogadishu for immediate distribution.

Now, they're at it again. Another shipment of food, an additional 60 tons of the nutritional supplements for children, has been delivered to Somalia on Tuesday, August 15th.

Speaking on the occasion, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee Mr. M. İlker Aycı said; "As the first call of help to Somalia echoed in social media, Turkish Airlines immediately took notice. We gladly joined the global movement #LoveArmyForSomalia, contributing a cargo flight as well as food and supplies to the people of Somalia. Now, we are doing it again, this time delivering 60 tons of special food for Somalian children. As we take pride in connecting Africa to the world, we also take pride in our corporate responsibility projects that extend a helping hand to the African people."

Sharing his views on the global movement, the social media star Jerome Jarre said that; "What is fueling this movement are people around the world coming together. We are united by the idea that anything is possible if we work together to make it happen."

Following the supplies arrival in Mogadishu, non-governmental organizations including the ARC have provided logistics and guidance on the ground, ensuring that the lifesaving supplements reach the most at-need children and their families.

As the only international airline flying to Somalia, Turkish Airlines will continue to stand by the people of Somalia in their time of need.

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AIRTRNTRACSRThu, 17 Aug 2017 23:22:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/185523-0.shtml
- Travelers will be able to fly directly from Chengdu to both US coasts

BEIJING, Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hainan Airlines is scheduled to launch non-stop service between Chengdu and New York on October 26, 2017. Following the roll-out of the Chengdu-Los Angeles service, this will be Hainan Airlines' second direct flight from Chengdu to North America. With the new service, travelers will be able to fly directly from Chengdu to both the East and West coasts of the US via Hainan Airlines.

The route will be serviced by a Boeing B787 Dreamliner with spacious cabins. Business Class passengers will be provided with 180-degree lie-flat seating with an in-seat massage feature. Passengers in all classes will have access to premium onboard amenities and a gourmet selection of Western and Oriental meals. Hainan Airlines will provide travelers choosing the new route with a variety of all-inclusive travel packages as well as, for Business Class passengers, private limo service, assuring each passenger a convenient and pleasurable experience.

Hainan Airlines has, to date, launched 12 direct routes from mainland China to eight destinations in North America, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto, etc. The new Chengdu-New York and Chongqing-New York services to be launched in October will give Hainan Airlines the distinction of being the Chinese carrier operating the most routes between the US and China.

Hainan Airlines' Chengdu-New York Flight Schedule (all times are local):

Season

Flight No.

Aircraft

Days

Departure City

Arrival City

Departure Time

Arrival Time

Dates

Summer-

Autumn

HU7915

787

Thursday, Saturday

Chengdu

New York

10:00 pm

00:50 am+1

Oct. 26, 2017-Oct. 28, 2017

HU7916

787

Friday, Sunday

New York

Chengdu

2:50 am

5:55 am+1

Oct. 26, 2017-Oct. 28, 2017

Winter-Spring

HU7915

787

Tuesday, Saturday

Chengdu

New York

10:00 pm

00:50 am+1

Oct. 29, 2017-Nov. 4, 2017

10:00 pm

11:50 pm

Nov. 5, 2017-Mar. 10, 2018

HU7916

787

Wednesday, Sunday

New York

Chengdu

2:50 am

5:55 am+1

Oct. 29, 2017-Nov. 4, 2017

1:50 am

5:55 am+1

Nov. 5, 2017-Mar. 10, 2018

Note: The flight information displayed above only applies to the initial launch of the new service. Specific timetables can be confirmed on Hainan Airlines' official website. For more information, please call the 24/7 hotline at 95339 (within China) or 888-688-8813 for English service ,888-688-8876 for Chinese service(within North America), or visit the Hainan Airlines website at www.hnair.com.

SANTA CLARA, California, Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Growth in the global military aircraft engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) market remains steady, driven by more complex components that demand higher parts cost per MRO activity. Regional tensions in Asia-Pacific due to territorial issues, primarily with China, and interest in new aircraft to counter a Chinese aircraft expansion strategy are further factors augmenting growth. While North America is the biggest source of military aircraft engine MRO revenues, fixed-wing engine repair and overhaul remains the largest spending segment. To sustain growth in a mature and highly consolidated ecosystem, aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are focusing on selling new aircraft with long-term aftermarket support.

"The most consistent revenue growth will be in trainer aircraft as their replacement is not tied to unit conversions," said Frost & Sullivan Aerospace & Defense Research Director Michael Blades. "Other revenue strategies include 'Power by the Hour' formulas in the military engine market, especially for transport and training aircraft."

Global Military Aircraft Engine Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Market, Forecast to 2025, is the new analysis from Frost & Sullivan's Defense Growth Partnership Service program. It includes current and expected market developments; drivers and restraints; revenue forecasts across segments such as fixed-wing types, including fighter, transport, special mission, trainer, and unmanned aerial vehicles; and rotary-wing types, comprising attack and utility aircraft. The competitive landscape for major players such as ST Aero, Enaer, Raytheon, Rolls Royce, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman, SABCA, and Ruag are provided.

Despite aircraft retirements, fewer purchases, more reliable components, and on-conditional repairs lowering the demand, frequency and cost of engine MRO, moderate growth is expected in the next eight years due to declining labor costs and an increase in engine parts costs.

Delivery of new aircraft and slower retirement of older aircraft in Europe, resulting in higher engine MRO cost per aircraft;

Older equipment in Africa;

Tensions in Asia-Pacific fuelling the need for readiness;

Fairly new equipment in the Middle Eastern countries; and

Asian operators looking for local MRO support.

"In order to simplify military manning fluctuations and location infrastructure, engine maintenance is migrating toward OEM partnerships with local companies, contractors, or military depots," noted Blades. "New aircraft may have local suppliers that form an aftermarket relationship that includes engine MRO."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

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AROAIFAIRTRNTRAPDTSVYThu, 17 Aug 2017 02:05:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/185386-0.shtmlSHANGHAI, Aug. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mileslife, an innovative mileage earning program operator in China, announced today, an exclusive strategic partnership with ANA (All Nippon Airways), Japan's largest and the only 5-Star airline, offering the ANA Mileage Club (ANA's frequent flyer program) members further options to earn miles in the China market.

Through this strategic tie-up, Mileslife app users can now earn ANA miles directly through daily lifestyle and travel purchases. This partnership will allow users in China and Japanese customers visiting China to earn ANA miles while spending with local merchants

Members can redeem ANA and Star Alliance member airlines award tickets or upgrades with ANA Mileage Club miles. With ANA Mileage Club onboard, Mileslife's frequent flyer network has now extended its service to cover Greater Asia, Europe, America and the Middle East.

Mileslife endeavors to cultivate and elevate the entire airline loyalty program industry in China as well as strengthens the connection between airlines, customers and merchants. Launched in November 2015, Mileslife quickly partnered with China's leading loyalty programs including Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club, PhoenixMiles, China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club, China Eastern Airlines Eastern Miles, and Sichuan Airlines Golden Panda. The company also became the first Chinese start-up that partnered with British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Miles & More, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, United MileagePlus, EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, and Qatar Privilege Club.

Mileslife has been expanding its merchant network to include more than 2,000 outlets for its users to earn miles. Merchants currently range from mid-to-high end restaurants, leading spas, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, recreational activities, travel packages and E-Commerce.

When users pay via the Mileslife App, they can earn up to 1 ANA mile with every 1 RMB (or equivalent) that they have spent. The miles earned will be directly credited into the user's frequent flyer account within 8 business days of the transaction.

"We've noticed most of the frequent flyers are loyal customers who tend to purchase value-oriented products," explained Troy Liu, founder and CEO of Mileslife. "After being in operation for more than a year, the frequent flyers and our partners are able to recognize the difference between Mileslife and other loyalty-related Apps, and understand the value we bring."

"As the largest and the only SKYTRAX 5-Star airline in Japan, which is operating to 42 cities worldwide, including 10 cities in Mainland China, we're always looking for more ways to provide greater value to our ANA Mileage Club Members," said Tomohiko Mano, VP of ANA X Inc., part of ANA Group to run ANA Mileage Club. "Through this partnership, we're creating a wider loyalty experience by developing new services for our global members, especially for our customers in China."

ANA is the largest airline in Japan by revenues and passenger numbers. Founded in 1952, ANA flies today on 87 international routes and 117 domestic routes. The ANA group has 35,000 employees and a fleet of about 250 aircrafts. In FY2016, it carried 52.1 million passengers and generated revenues of 1.77 trillion Japanese yen. ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999, and has joint-ventures with United Airlines on trans-Pacific and Asia routes, and with Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines on Japan-Europe routes. Its Frequent Flyer Program, ANA Mileage Club, has more than 26 million members. ANA was voted Airline of the Year for 2013 by Air Transport World Magazine, and in 2017 was awarded five stars for the fifth consecutive year by the world's leading Airline and Airport review site, SKYTRAX. ANA is the launch customer and biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

This year ANA is celebrating its 30th anniversary of flights to China and up to now flies non-stop to Japan from Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Dalian, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan and Hongkong. ANA operates an average of 50 flights every day, carrying more than 2 million passengers annually between China and Japan. ANA, the only 5-Star airline in Japan, continuously provides Chinese passengers with world class service, the best comfort, convenience and safety.

Troy Liu is a renowned loyalty program expert in China, and he has acted as a consultant and training instructor for many international hotel chains and airlines. Having travelled to over 100 countries through miles and points in the past 16 years, he also shares his experiences on travel blogs, including Boardingarea.

SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the highly competitive ecosystem in the infrared imaging market, the "More than Moore" market research and strategy consulting company Yole Developpement (Yole), in collaboration with China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE), is organizing the 2nd Executive Infrared Imaging Forum on September 7 in Shenzhen, China, alongside the 19th CIOE this year. This second edition is focused on the latest technical innovations and market status. During an impressive one-day program, Yole and CIOE invite you to get a comprehensive overview of the IR imaging industry including technical insights, market trends and related figures and competitive landscape. Agenda & registration are now available.

Uncooled Infrared imaging market has been initially driven by defense applications. Innovation and cost reduction enabled the implementation of a new commercial market segment including thermography, surveillance, PVS[1] and more applications. Today the uncooled IR camera market is showing an 8% CAGR[2] between 2016 and 2022 reaching almost US$ 4.4 billion at the end of the period. In 2016, two leading companies, FLIR and ULIS, both with different market strategies and solutions, owned more than 75% of the total market (in volume). These results are part of the latest technology and market analysis from Yole, titled Uncooled Infrared Imagers market & technology trends, released last week.

"The future of uncooled IR imagers is bright," announces Yole's Senior Analyst, Dr. Eric Mounier. "Driven by dynamic commercial applications which continues to expand really quickly, this industry is showing significant emerging applications that could impact the market evolution. We are at the very beginning of new large volume applications."

All imaging players are on the look and try to confirm its market positioning. Besides FLIR and Ulis, many others players are also benefiting from IR imaging market growth. CIOE-Infrared Application Expo, is the first as well as the only professional infrared exhibition in China. The event gathers nearly all the global leading brands in this industry such as Newport, Thorlabs, Thales, Flir, Ulis, PI, SAT, Guide Infrared, DALI, NVG, Magnity, and Suruga Seiki. The latest exhibitor list is available now. Just pre-register to know more.

Market indicators are all there to expect the wide market adoption of uncooled IR imaging technologies. On September 7, in Shenzhen, China, Yole and CIOE offer a great opportunity to meet the leaders of this industry, understand the latest technical challenges and identify the business opportunities. The on-site cocktail and coffee break networking activities will ensure all participants have enough time to communicate with each other. ULIS, Hikvision, Heimann Sensors, Optris, JIR Infrared, Oxford Instruments, SST Vacuum Reflow Systems, The Australian National University, ENAS Fraunhofer and more are part of the 2017 program.

Sponsored by Optris, Sunny IR Optics and ULIS, the 2nd Executive IR Forum has been created thanks to Yole analysts' expertise and input from the industrial experts.

Yole and CIOE enjoy collaborating and building this second edition. "Both organizations combine their expertise to propose a valuable program to the world's IR imaging community," comments Jean-Christophe Eloy, President & CEO at Yole. "The sheer number of attendees proved the success of the previous edition, with almost 50% coming from the Chinese market."

"During one day, this forum brings together a world class panel of users and application experts," asserts Eric Yang, Secretary General of CIOE. "The program is a great opportunity for attendees and speakers to get up-to-date insights about the status of the IR imaging industry."

Established in 1999, CIOE is the largest show of its kind in the world featuring over 3,200 optoelectronic brands and their latest products in the area of 110,000 sqm at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. There are 6 concurrent specialized expositions focusing on Optical Communications and Sensors, Lasers, Infrared Applications, Precision Optics, LEDs, Emerging Display, Sapphire Technology & Touch Screen and Photonics Innovations.

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AIRHRDCPRCSEECPSEMTDSThu, 10 Aug 2017 18:59:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184930-0.shtml- World A Capella Competition is to be held from August 11 to 13, along with Asia Youth A Capella Competition and Gala Concert]]>
- World-renowned a cappella groups, including Zenith, Doo Wop Sounds and New York Voices, will give special performances]]>
SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Incheon International Airport will host the World A Capella Competition, one of its regular cultural programs held every summer to spice up the holiday season. Held for the second time since 2014, the World A Capella Competition will take place for three days from August 11 to 13 at 4 pmSeoul time in Millennium Hall on the first floor of Passenger Terminal.

While the main event will take place on August 12, side events are also scheduled prior to and following the competition, with "Asia Youth A Capella Competition" on August 11 and "A Cappella Gala Concert" on August 13. This year, world-renowned a cappella ensembles that have made it to the final will vie to be the best a cappella group in the world.

On the first day, August 11 (Friday), Asia Youth A Cappella Competition will be held with young, budding songbirds of Asia. A total of six teams, including "Deli Custard," "Hugang," "LoGs," "Himeto Hotaru," "Masusiro Sirokuke," "Regardless A Capella Group," will vie for the title, while Doo Wop Sounds, an up-and-coming a capella group well known for unique arrangements and charismatic stage presence, will give special performances.

On August 12 (Saturday), the World A Capella Competition will take place with the world's leading a cappella groups. It will feature a total of seven teams, including "Narin," "Free.T," "M&M," "Chicago Boy," "The 4 of Us," "Ten Thousand" and "Lark," with special performances of Zenith, a pop-jazz a cappella ensemble.

On the final day, August 13 (Sunday), the winner of the 1st and the 2nd World A Cappella Competition, and a Grammy Award winning vocal ensemble "New York Voices," will make a grand finale.

Incheon International Airport has provided culture and art programs year-round under the theme "Culture Touches the Sky" since 2011 and has been admired by local and international citizens as the world's leading cultural airport.

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AIRARTENTPDTThu, 10 Aug 2017 12:37:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184640-0.shtmlBEIJING, Aug. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hainan Airlines has applied to extend the Monday and Friday flights on its existing Beijing-Prague route on to Belgrade, Serbia, effective September 15, with the Prague-Belgrade leg granted fifth freedom traffic rights. With these rights in place, once the new service is launched, Hainan Airlines can offer round trip services between Beijing and Prague, Beijing and Belgrade, as well as Prague and Belgrade. The extended route builds a convenient air bridge for passengers in China, the Czech Republic and Serbia.

The Beijing-Prague-Belgrade route will be serviced by an Airbus A330 aircraft, with two round trip flights weekly, on Mondays and Fridays. The service's business class features spacious and comfortable cabins, 180-degree adjustable lie-flat seats, BOSE headsets and Bvlgari toiletry bags. Passengers in all classes will have access to an exclusive on-demand entertainment system and a gourmet selection of Western and Oriental meals. Travelers can book tickets for the Beijing-Prague-Belgrade flight by logging on to Hainan Airlines' website at www.hainanairlines.com, calling the hotline at 00-800-876-89999 or visiting any of the airline's ticket offices or licensed distributors.

Mileslife endeavors to cultivate and elevate the entire airline loyalty program industry in China as well as strengthen the connection between airlines, customers and merchants. Launched in November 2015, Mileslife quickly partnered with China's leading loyalty programs including China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl Club, China Eastern Airlines Eastern Miles, Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club, PhoenixMiles and Sichuan Airlines Golden Panda. The company also became the first Chinese start-up that partnered with British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Miles & More, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, United MileagePlus and EVA Air Infinity MileageLands.

The newly joined Privilege Club is the frequent flyer programme of Qatar Airways. This partnership is the first time ever that Qatar Airways has collaborated with a local company in China. Qatar Airways was recently voted Airline of the Year at the Skytrax Awards 2017, as well as being awarded World's Best Business Class, Best First Class Airline Lounge and Best Airline in the Middle East. With the awards they have earned, Qatar Airways has won the confidence of the travelling public and with their extensive network coverage, they have become more popular with many frequent flyers in China due to their flights that connect Europe and China.

Mileslife has been expanding over 2,000 mileage earning opportunities for users, ranging from mid-to-high end restaurants and leading spas to boutique hotels, luxury resorts, recreational activities and travel packages. Once users pay via the Mileslife App, they can earn up to 1 airline mile with every 1 RMB (or equivalent) that they have spent and the miles earned will be directly credited into the frequent flyer account of the user within 3-5 working days after the transaction.

As part of this ongoing partnership, for a limited time Mileslife App users can book a flight at qatarairways.com from 3 August through to 1 September 2017 and save up to 20% on fares and earn 100% bonus Qmiles in Premium Class and 50% bonus Qmiles in Economy Class for flights between 5 August 2017 and 31 March 2018.

"We've noticed most of the frequent flyers are loyal customers who tend to purchase value-oriented products," explained Troy Liu, founder and CEO of Mileslife. "After more-than-a-year operation, frequent flyers and our partners could distinguish the difference between Mileslife and other travel-related Apps, and recognize our value."

As a renowned loyalty program expert in China, he has performed consultant services and training for many international hotel chains and airlines. Visiting over 100 countries by earning and earning miles and points in the past 15 years, he also cast light on these in his million-word blogs on Boardingarea.

Qatar Airways Vice President Customer Loyalty and Relationship Management, Dr. Ian Di Tullio, said: "We are excited about this innovative way to connect frequent flyers with daily lifestyle spending. Mileslife provides an excellent opportunity for us to activate the frequent flyer market in China and offers even more opportunities for our members to earn benefits, privileges and awards."

About Qatar Airways Privilege Club

Privilege Club is Qatar Airways Frequent flyer programme and a way of thanking members for choosing to fly with Qatar Airways. Privilege Club members are offered benefits, privileges and attractive awards.

Privilege Club offers 4 membership tiers - Burgundy, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Each flight on Qatar Airways takes you closer to the next higher membership tier offering higher benefits and privileges. Every time members fly with Qatar Airways or use any of their partners' services, they will earn Qmiles which can be redeemed for flights on Qatar Airways, oneworld airlines, partner airlines and services of our non-air partners.

Mileslife is the first App for consumers to earn airline miles and points directly through their everyday lifestyle and travel spending and help the local business to target potential high-caliber customers.

Launched in November 2015, Mileslife quickly partnered with thousands of restaurants, premium spas, tour packages, boutique hotels and luxury resorts in China, Singapore and other popular destinations around the globe.

Along with the rise of Chinese middle class, Mileslife aspires to awaken the class's sense to realize the value and unleash the power of airline miles and fulfil their wishes to travel around the world.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The trend toward live, virtual, constructive or mixed-reality training is accelerating and continues to drive investment and innovation in the United States Department of Defense (DoD) training and simulation market. With mobile and distributed training capabilities becoming more important to meet the challenges of high operations tempo and dynamic technological changes, industry participants must continue to develop secure, robust, immersive, and realistic virtual environments while adding live elements as requirements and technology dictate.

"New disruptive, innovative technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices, immersive motion systems, and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming how training is tracked, evaluated, and administered," said Frost & Sullivan Aerospace & Defense Research Director Michael Blades. "These technologies can provide individual or group training in a virtual environment while enabling job requirements, personalized training programs, retention, combat readiness, and repetition at a low cost when and where needed."

Recent research from Frost & Sullivan's Defense Growth Partnership Subscription, US DoD Training and Simulation Market, Forecast to 2021, finds that the Navy is expected to spend the most on training and simulation, between $6 billion and $6.12 billion each year from 2016 to 2021. The research service provides an overview of program funding and contract activity for the DoD's training and simulation market. Opportunities, forecasts, drivers, restraints and technology trends are discussed. Programs, services and segments making up the market are analyzed, with market share and competitive analysis of major players such as Raytheon, L-3 Technologies, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Veritas Capital Fund, Cubic Corp, General Dynamics, and CAE, Inc provided.

U.S. defense firms' main competition comes from European firms, such as Saab, Thales, and Leonardo, which have comparable training technologies. A strong U.S. dollar will mean more partnerships between U.S. and European companies as U.S. companies maximize their exposure to lucrative European training contracts when foreign military sales (FMS) are deemed too costly.

Strategic imperatives for success and growth in the U.S. DoD training and simulation market include:

Developing and implementing technologies such as AR and VR goggles to provide immersive training and optimize the live/virtual training balance;

Utilizing secure global networks and smart devices such as phones, tablets, and AR/VR goggles to provide training anytime and anywhere to reduce the need for generalized, time-consuming training courses;

Providing portable and programmable mobile target systems or partnering with current providers; and

Seeking out best-of-breed commercial software companies that focus on AI and deep-learning techniques.

"The DoD continues to emphasize mixed-reality training programs with robust, secure networking based on non-proprietary open operating systems. However, military budget uncertainties have been and will continue to be the top constraint to investment in new and innovative training and simulation technologies," noted Blades. "Leveraging partnerships with flexible, software-focused commercial technology firms through the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) should lead to faster, more innovative solutions if executed properly."

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

The completion of the transaction enables Hong Kong Airlines to provide more comprehensive ground handling services at its home base Hong Kong International Airport ("HKIA"), as well as to enhance its overall service quality while the airline's business keeps going global.

SATS HK will also continue to provide ground handling services to other airline clients with an enlarged scale of operations through this new strategic partnership with Hong Kong Airlines.

About Hong Kong Airlines

Established in 2006, Hong Kong Airlines is a full-service airline firmly rooted in Hong Kong. It has grown remarkably in just ten years with a wide destination network covering over 30 major cities across the Asia Pacific region, including Gold Coast, Auckland, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, Sapporo, Seoul, Bangkok, Bali and Okinawa, and extending its reach to North America in 2017 with the launch of theVancouver route. The Company has also signed agreements with 17 codeshare and 76 interline partners. The current operating fleet is made up of 33 Airbus aircraft, consisting of 29 passenger aircraft and 4 freighters. With an average age of around 5.0, Hong Kong Airlines operates one of the youngest fleets in the world. Hong Kong Airlines has been awarded the internationally acclaimed four-star rating from Skytrax since 2011. It was also the winner for Asia's Leading Inflight Service in World Travel Awards 2015.

Los Angeles is where Hollywood dream factory begins, with an exhaustive array of fun things to do for every type of traveler -- beach lovers can never resist soaking in the sun and sea of California, glittering lights and extravagant shows in Las Vegas always keep fun seekers in awe. For cultural and art fans, Downtown LA is the perfect place to enjoy world-class museums and performances, or hop to the Grand Canyon where Mother Nature delivers a geographical masterpiece.

Li Dianchun, Chief Commercial Officer of Hong Kong Airlines, said, "Following the success of theVancouver route, we are excited to set up the first destination in the continental United States to further expand our international network. The launch of Los Angeles route will strengthen the connection with our well-developed Asia Pacific network, thus providing more travel options for business, leisure, academic or family travelers. It will also serve to promote Hong Kong Airlines' brand image and passion in service to more parts of the world."

The winter flight schedule for the Los Angeles, USA route is as follows* (All Times Local):

Established in 2006, Hong Kong Airlines is a full-service airline firmly rooted in Hong Kong. It has grown remarkably in just ten years with a wide destination network covering over 30 major cities across the Asia Pacific region, including Gold Coast, Auckland, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, Sapporo, Seoul, Bangkok, Bali and Okinawa, and extending its reach to North America in 2017 with the launch of Vancouver route. The Company has also signed agreements with 17 codeshare and 76 interline partners. The current operating fleet is made up of 33 Airbus aircraft, consisting of 29 passenger aircraft and 4 freighters. With an average age of around 5.0 years, Hong Kong Airlines operates one of the youngest fleets in the world. Hong Kong Airlines has been awarded the internationally acclaimed four-star rating from Skytrax since 2011. It was also the winner for Asia's Leading Inflight Service in World Travel Awards 2015.

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AIRPAVTRAPDTTue, 1 Aug 2017 16:02:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184072-0.shtmlKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In recent years the dedicated Hajj and Umrah flight operator has gained the attention of the public and of late the regulators as it aims to build a uniquely Malaysian airline that helps people from around the world perform their religious duties.

Eaglexpress taking on passengers before take off

In this independent report the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) research team which has been tracking the airline's performance from its establishment examines the achievements of Eaglexpress over the past five years and explores how Eaglexpress can "Fly above the turbulence" of the current situation to ensure the sustainable future of the airline.

As reported in the Star online business section on the 31stDecember 2016 "Umrah and Hajj is a billion-dollar business globally and several airlines worldwide offer charters but many more depend on charter carriers like Eaglexpress to carry pilgrims." The gap in the market that Eaglexpress fills globally is the need to move large amounts of passengers beyond the capability of regularly scheduled flights.

Malaysia too will need increased capacity on the back of the recent announcement by the Saudi Arabian government reported in the Arab News on 26th of February, 2017 that the quota would be increased from "some 27,000 pilgrims come annually from Malaysia and that will be increased to 30,000"

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 clearly states "increase our capacity to welcome Umrah and Hajj visitors from 8 million to 30 million every year" this will require increased capacity especially in the airline sector. At the same time, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage announced the National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism which included the "Umrah Plus Tourism Market", which would see millions of Muslims extend stays in the Kingdom following the performance of Umrah.

This bodes well for Eaglexpress as technically they would be able to operate flights out of Malaysia under their own call sign and able to provide "wet leased" aircraft to fly from any Muslim country during peak times as created during Hajj and Umrah seasons throughout the various times in the year to meet the capacity required to move the millions of proposed passengers.

Eaglexpress was established on in 2012, with an initial paid up capital of RM5 Million. The company was established to meet the "social service" of flying pilgrims from the Muslim world to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah. Since that date it was able to generate over USD400 Million in foreign earnings for Malaysia. The airline also has a valid IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate, one of three operators in the country to do so.

Until very recently Eaglexpress was operating mostly international business and the fact that it was able to maintain an excellent record with international regulators and safety compliance organisations which is a critical success factor. This is a key organisational strength of Eaglexpress as new entrants to the market will face challenges meeting the same requirements.

Eaglexpress is working with international suppliers of aircraft to find innovative way to reduce the social impact of waiting list for Hajj upwards of 15 years in Malaysia, a country renowned for its Hajj operations. Reduced cost and increased capacity that can only be achieved with the correct configurations and other cost efficiencies, this will have a positive impact on consumers.

Eaglexpress is a uniquely Bumi company that has been operating under its own capacity since inception. However looking at the size of the global opportunity it is time for Eaglexpress to consider partnering with or being adopted by a Malaysian Government Linked Company (GLC) to empower the next stage of growth.

The airline was thrown into crisis when Malaysian authorities revoked its Air Services Permit (ASP) was revoked while it was undergoing a RM38 million contract to carry 25,000 pilgrims for Umrah from Malaysia. This has now become the focus of a judicial review as the position of Eaglexpress is that they were not given fair warning or natural justice, especially as the airline at that time was already operating for 5 years. This created a knock on effect, the Foreign Operator Certificate (FOC) issued by the Saudi authority to undertake the Umrah contract under its own call sign was put on hold. The cumulative business loses will reach well over USD100 Million.

Eaglexpress maintains that it is able to operate both from an organisation and safety perceptive this business, and wishes that government authorities had played a role of facilitation rather than the course taken.

Moving forward, Eaglexpress is well placed to establish a vendor development program especially for Bumi SME's to supply of halal food and suitable entertainment content on the 9 hour flight to Saudi Arabia. Coupled with providing reduced cargo prices for Malaysian products to Saudi Arabia, this would have a positive economic knock on effect to local SME's and create an estimated 1,000 jobs.

Eaglexpress has not fully capitalised on the goodwill that was created due to the company's role in housing the Malaysian evacuees from the Yemen crisis, which was not widely reported in the media at the time. Nor the company's strong social responsibility culture having employed many single mothers and those staff laid off by other airlines in the country. This needs to be communicated to the public together with the fact that Eaglexpress in a social responsibility that is realised through the business of Umrah and Hajj flight operations.

Eaglexpress currently position in Malaysia, has seen regional investors looking to invest directly into the company to take advantage of the growth in the global Umrah and Hajj business, especially in key markets of Africa, Middle East and Greater Asia. Markets which currently see many non-Muslim companies leading the way in supply of aircraft.

Moving forward Eaglexpress will attract both investors and linkages with key government linked companies as the opportunity has increased so to should the involvement of the government of Malaysia to ensure that the country can remain in a leading position in the Haj and Umrah business.

From the small beginnings the management and staff of Eaglexpress can be proud of being able to operate in this segment of the market for so long. Now they must chart a future for the company which includes a flight path above the turbulence of the current situation.

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AIRPAVTRNSVYMon, 31 Jul 2017 16:22:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183945-0.shtml
SANYA, China, July 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2017 Sanya Celebration (the "Celebration"), an international tourism promotional event by the municipal government of Sanya, China, was held on July 27 in Djakarta, Indonesia, to introduce the charm of Sanya, the renowned international tropical coastal tourism resort city of South China.

The 2017 Sanya Celebration in Indonesia

The Celebration was divided into two sections including a roadshow and a promotion meeting, attracting almost 150 industry experts and journalists to attend. In the exhibition area, participants were able to experience the beauty and local culture of Sanya with photo galleries, Virtual Reality (VR) games, food displays and other delights. Hainan's local Li and Miao minority nationalities brought their cultural performance of folk singing and dancing as well.

Beautiful Sanya, Romantic Paradise

During the promotion meeting, Sanya's government highlighted the strong growth of its international arrivals, fueled by the growing awareness of Sanya's scenic spots, such as Tianya Haijiao (a world-famous seaside scenic area of Sanya), Wuzhizhou Island, West Island, Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park and more. Meanwhile, the booming food tours, wedding tours, golf tours, and traditional Chinese medicine therapy tours were also popular and were emphatically introduced.

"Sanya aims to become a top tourism destination with its natural beauty and varied culturally themed projects," said Deng Zhong, the honorary president of Sanya People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. "We hope to attract more overseas visitors to travel, work and live in the city, and more investors to explore new investment opportunities as well."

Pan Yonglu, counselor of the Chinese embassy in Indonesia, stated that both Indonesia and Sanya have rich tourism resources and cultural diversity. It's a worthy experience for tourists from Indonesia to travel and explore.

Indonesia and China are vital tourism markets for each other. Last year, approximately 1.4 million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia, increasing 8% year-on-year. China has become the No. 1 tourist market for Indonesia and Indonesia is also the No. 6 travel destination for Chinese tourists.

Indonesia's Sriwijaya Air launched three new routes starting in June for Jakarta to Haikou, Jakarta, to Nanning, and Denpasar to Nanning, which expects to double the number of international passengers to 1 million in 2017. The total air distance from Haikou to Sanya is 218 Kilometers (135 miles).

From July to September, the Celebration will be held in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore and India. The coming second phase of the celebration will be at Russia and Kazakhstan from August 6 to 11.

About Sanya

Sanya is located in the southernmost point of China'sHainan island. It is an international coastal destination. The city has been praised by global visitors as the only Chinese seaside vacation destination for its stunning coastline and profound cultural heritage.

BEIJING, July 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On 26th July, Air China Limited hosted a launch event for its new in-flight catering partnership with the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Beijing, as part of the company's strategy to transform customer needs into a gourmet onboard experience.

By consistently upholding its brand positioning as a "professional, trusted, internationally respected Chinese brand", Air China not only focuses on the convenience and safety of its passengers, but also their customer experience, making sure its company motto of "Enjoy Flying" has been worked into every single detail. Through breaking down different passenger requirements by route and gathering experiences and recommendations from frontline cabin crew, Air China has come up with a variety of ways to improve its onboard catering options. This has led to the airline joining forces with the Ritz-Carlton Beijing to develop a brand new in-flight food menu. As a world-leading luxury hotel brand, the Ritz-Carlton places the same emphasis on classic elegance as it did since its foundation in the 19th century, and it shares Air China's dedication to the pursuit of ever-better quality. Barolo, the Italian restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Beijing, is named after the famed winemaking region in northern Italy. Here, the focus is on the perfect pairing of delicious food and delectable wines, with head chef Amedeo Ferri creating a distinctive fine dining experience thanks to his unparalleled sensitivity to ingredients and flavours and unremitting quest for innovation in the kitchen. These qualities have all come to the fore in the development of Air China's new in-flight gourmet options.

The biggest obstacle was that, due to the nature of the industry, airline catering is subject to a whole host of requirements and restrictions in terms of production, storage and transportation. For example, airline food is part of the cold chain and needs to be re-heated up on the plane; affected by high cabin pressure, a passenger's senses of taste and smell are less sensitive in the cabin, which means that the same food will taste differently in the air than it does on the ground; and the choices of possible ingredients are even more restricted in high-altitude enclosed cabin environments. Spiced prawn salad, tomato and basil soup, braised beef tenderloin with prosciutto, and panna cotta for dessert. Air China wanted these Italian classics to be part of its new gourmet meal range, but in order to take them from the restaurant to the clouds, it had to enlist the help of a specialist airline catering company. This is where Beijing Air Catering Co. Ltd stepped in. Beijing Air Catering was established in 1980, and is now one of China's biggest airline catering specialists. Since its foundation, the company has developed and implemented food safety regulations that go beyond the bare minimum required of them by law, and it provides high-quality catering services for over 50 domestic and international airlines as well as clients on the ground. It has its own dedicated R&D kitchen for in-flight food, is capable of real-time interaction with Lufthansa and many other leading global airlines, and allows its clients to monitor the entire development and production process via video link. Bearing the cultural connotations behind culinary creativity in mind, Air China worked closely with head chefs from Beijing Air Catering to develop these dishes, before teaming up with Mr Ferri to discuss ingredient selection and flavours. From all of this groundwork, Air China was finally able to craft a delicious menu that meets all airline catering standards and is suitable for mass production without compromising on quality or taste. And this menu will soon be available for all Air China first class passengers on China to North America routes.

Air China has been reviewing and restructuring its food offerings on more than 40 domestic and international routes since early 2016, rolling out localised dining options that best suit the dietary preferences of passengers from different parts of the world. On its Shanghai routes Air China has introduced six new international meals for gourmet dining in the clouds, on its German routes there is quality caviar alongside six nutritious, seasonal Western meals so passengers can "taste the seasons from their seat", whereas Air China has rolled out some exquisite typical Japanese dishes for its Japan routes. And travelling over the holidays is even more special thanks to hand-made multicoloured dumplings for Chinese New Year, sticky rice parcels for the Dragon Boar Festival, and children's gift boxes for Children's Day. The new gourmet Italian dining option will be available in all first class cabins on routes between China and North America from 1st August. Air China will continue to work tirelessly in the future to deliver improved service and higher quality for a friendly, comfortable and luxurious onboard experience.

Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL) will work on a concept of operations to improve efficiency in the Amsterdam Flight Information Region including the North Sea.

MCLEAN, Virginia, July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aireon announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL), the Dutch Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP). LVNL operates the Amsterdam Flight Information Region (FIR), which extends above Dutch territory and a large part of the North Sea. LVNL will collaborate with Aireon to assess how space-based ADS-B can act as a more efficient and cost-effective secondary and contingency air traffic surveillance system in their terrestrial airspace. In addition, it will investigate Aireon's ability to provide real-time position updates in areas like the North Sea where LVNL has significant helicopter operations for oil and gas.

LVNL operates in one of Europe's busiest FIRs, which includes Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, third largest airport in Europe by market share as of 2016, and features 322 direct worldwide destinations offered by 108 different airlines, including home carrier KLM. In 2016, LVNL managed approximately 590,000 aircraft movements in the Netherlands. LVNL will work with Aireon to develop a comprehensive concept of operations for the deployment of space-based ADS-B. A benefits analysis will also be created to fully understand the cost-savings LVNL can provide to stakeholders and customers.

"LVNL is collaborating with Aireon to see if we can take advantage of the innovation of space-based ADS-B," said Marcel Bakker, General Manager Systems and Infrastructure, LVNL. "We believe the AireonSM service will become an important augmentation to existing air traffic surveillance technologies to improve availability and efficiency to our customers. LVNL wants to ensure that all the stakeholders benefit from this best-in-class technology."

"The dense, complex Dutch airspace and high traffic volume requires LVNL to consistently focus on increasing efficiency and safety through innovation," said Cyriel Kronenburg, vice president, aviation services, Aireon. "Aireon is pleased to work with LVNL to determine the applicability of space-based ADS-B in the Amsterdam FIR and add to improving overall infrastructure efficiency in the Netherlands."

Aireon announced on 25 June 2017 the successful launch and deployment of the second batch of 10 Iridium® NEXT satellites, carrying its space-based ADS-B payloads. The second launch increased the total number of Aireon payloads in orbit to 20, with another 55 set for space in a series of six additional launches planned over the next twelve months.

Aireon is deploying a space-based air traffic surveillance system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft throughout the entire globe. Aireon will harness next-generation aviation surveillance technologies that are currently ground-based and, for the first time ever, extend their reach globally to significantly improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce emissions and provide cost savings benefits to all stakeholders. Real-time ADS-B surveillance will cover oceanic, polar and remote regions, as well as augment existing ground-based systems that are limited to terrestrial airspace. In partnership with leading ANSPs from around the world, like NAV CANADA, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), ENAV and Naviair, as well as Iridium Communications, Aireon will have an operational, global, space-based air traffic surveillance system by 2018. For more information about Aireon, visit www.aireon.com.

About Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL)Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL) is in charge of providing air traffic control services in the civil airspace of the Netherlands. Each year we handle more than 590.000 flights safe and efficient. LVNL is integrated into the Central European Functional Airspace Block (FABEC) and employs around 900 people. LVNL provides air traffic control services for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Groningen Airport Eelde, Maastricht Aachen Airport and en-route. For more information about LVNL, visit www.lvnl.nl/en.

TRIGO has acquired 100% of the capital of MAVE AERONAUTICA from founder Joaquin Arregui and other shareholders. This transaction is a major step in TRIGO's consolidation strategy in the European aerospace quality services market. It will strengthen MAVE's position by taking the mainly Spanish company to an international level.

MAVE is the pioneer of outsourced quality services for the aerospace sector in Spain, where it has been serving Airbus and other clients, with expertise in quality inspection, quality assurance, measurement and tooling maintenance solutions. MAVE founders will retire and the company will be managed by Antonio Gomez, General Manager since early 2016.

TRIGO has entered the Spanish aerospace market in 2015 via the acquisition of GLOBALQ. Together with MAVE, TRIGO will achieve more than 70 million euros of annual revenues in the aerospace and heavy transportation sector, with significant operations in Spain, France and Germany as well as North America and Asia. After the acquisition of Böllinger and Euro-Symbiose in 2016, the MAVE acquisition is the third one since ARDIAN, the private investment company, started backing TRIGO in mid-2016. TRIGO will continue to pursue its market consolidation strategy in quality services for the transportation industry, ultimately offering worldwide, efficient solutions to its international, innovation-driven customers.

"TRIGO is proud to welcome MAVE into the Group," said Matthieu Rambaud, TRIGO CEO and Benoit Leblanc, EVP Europe. "We strongly believe that the integration of MAVE within TRIGO, alongside GLOBALQ, will benefit to our clients of Spain and beyond in terms of efficiency, expertise and innovation capacity. We enthusiastically welcome our new colleagues of MAVE and are looking forward to seeing them enjoy new development opportunities within our Group."

"With TRIGO, we found the acquirer that we were dreaming about for the future of MAVE, its customers and its employees," added Joaquin Arregui, MAVE Founder and Carlos Maria-Tomé Arnal, EVP. "TRIGO and MAVE share the same values. We thank our customers for trusting MAVE and our employees for having made our success possible so far, and for staying proud and focused on generating the success of tomorrow within TRIGO."

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AROAIRTRNTNMPERThu, 27 Jul 2017 08:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183773-0.shtmlLONDON, July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A sale of epic proportions is taking flight as CA Global Partners, in conjunction with Indassol, is preparing to liquidate the entire contents of Heathrow Airport's historic Terminal 1. The Terminal was opened in 1968 and was formally dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1969. At the time Terminal 1 was the biggest short-haul terminal of its kind in Western Europe. The multitude of airport facility and infrastructure items from Terminal 1 are being offered for sale by private treaty and through a series of auctions. CA Global Partners is an industry leader in the disposal of assets for a wide range of wholesale and industrial clients from around the world.

"A sale such as this, comprising the entire contents and infrastructure of an entire major airport terminal is unprecedented, to say the least," remarked Daniel Gray, Managing Partner of CA Global Partners Europe. Gray added, "Not only does this represent a rare opportunity for a young airport to fully equip a new terminal, but many of the items in this sale could be refurbished or repurposed for a variety of uses in other industries – Let alone some of the historical value to many of the items."

For further information please contact: Daniel Gray or George Wade Tel: +44(0) 845 163 0581 or Nigel Naden (Indassol) +44(0) 7775 604208. You can also email us at: Daniel@cagp.com or George@cagp.com.

About CA Global Partners:

CA Global Partners uses state-of-the-art web technologies, real-time digital communications, and proven marketing expertise to reach the largest network of qualified buyers from around the world -- from Fortune 1,000 companies to small organizations.

SINGAPORE, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Laminaar Aviation Infotech announced ARMS® (Aviation Resource Management System) implementation for new customers across North and South America.

Western Global Airlines LLC, headquartered in Estero (FL) and one of the fastest growing cargo airlines in the world, operating wide-bodies such as the MD-11F and 747F, is implementing the ARMS® V2 M&E suite along with options on deploying progressively, other applications from the ARMS® V2 suite.

Northern Aviation ServicesInc., headquartered out of Anchorage (AK), is America's longest, continuously operating, all-cargo airlines and offers a variety of aviation services through its subsidiary companies including Northern Air Cargo and Aloha Air Cargo among others. NAS is implementing the ARMS® V2 OPS suite.

Sky Airline S.A., with its primary operational base out of Santiago, is a leading low-cost passenger airline in Chile serving the South American region. SKY is implementing ARMS® V2 across its operational spectrum starting with OPS applications in a staggered implementation plan.

Director & CEO for Laminaar, Vivek Sheorey, expressed his delight on ARMS® making such significant inroads into the Americas in a short period and said, "Our rapid success in the North and South American markets is a reflection of the robustness of ARMS® products to have passed due-diligence with prominent carriers, in one of the most mature aviation markets in the world and the inherent ability of our solutions to be compliant with rules governing a very stringent regulatory environment. We dedicate ourselves to serving our customers across the Americas."

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AIFAIRTRNCXPWed, 26 Jul 2017 20:08:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183704-0.shtmlLAKE FOREST, Calif., July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Air China, the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People's Republic of China, has selected inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) solutions from Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) for its fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft.

Under the terms of the agreement, Panasonic will provide its industry-leading eX3 inflight entertainment for 10 Air China A350 aircraft. The first of these aircraft will be delivered in December 2017.

By selecting eX3, Air China will offer a unique passenger experience that includes audio and video on demand, a content library that can offer up to 300 movies, 200 TV shows, games, music, a moving map, and much more.

These A350 aircraft will also offer global connectivity services, which will allow Air China passengers to keep in touch with friends, families, co-workers and current events everywhere these aircraft fly. Panasonic operates connectivity service in 210 countries, including China.

Hideo Nakano, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said: "We are honored to partner with Air China on its A350 program. Because the airline's route structure includes very long flights to all seven continents, it needed an IFEC solution that would help keep passengers entertained and offer new opportunities for it to generate revenue.

"With eX3, Air China will offer its passengers a memorable experience that lets them watch movies and television, listen to music or connect to their favorite social media applications like WeChat. The reliability, performance and flexibility of eX3 and our connectivity service makes it an ideal choice for these aircraft."

About Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is the world's leading supplier of inflight entertainment and communication systems. The company's best-in-class solutions, supported by professional maintenance services, fully integrate with the cabin enabling its customers to deliver the ultimate travel experiences with a rich variety of entertainment choices, resulting in improved quality communication systems and solutions, reduced time-to-market and lower overall costs.

Established in 1979, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, a U.S. corporation, is a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. Headquartered in Lake Forest, California with over 5,000 employees and operations in 80 global locations, it has delivered over 9,000 IFE systems and 1,500 inflight connectivity solutions to the world's leading airlines. For additional information, please visit http://www.panasonic.aero

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AIRENTITETRNPDTWed, 26 Jul 2017 12:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183529-0.shtmlBANGKOK, July 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- THAI Smile Airways reinforces its global aviation standards and excellent service by introducing the Lucknow, India--Bangkok route, offering four exclusive direct flights a week using the original flight schedules. Previously, the Lucknow airport was closed for runway maintenance. The WE333 Bangkok--Lucknow route operates four flights per week: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 10.00 pm to 00.20 am. The WE334 Lucknow--Bangkok also operates four flights a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 01.20 am to 06.30am. Two classes are provided -- 12 seats of Premium Economy Class and 150 seats of Smile class. Fly with Airbus A320-200 that is fully equipped with convenient facilities offering superior entertainment experience. Passengers will enjoy a variety of delicious food both Vegetarian Jain and Non Vegetarian Jain meals, together with beverage menu with best selected dishes from THAI Catering. For shopping lovers, you can shop as much as you wish as THAI Smile allows you to carry 30kg of luggage for Smile Class and 40kg for Premium Economy.

Class or Smile PLUS. Fly with THAI Smile Airways, the number one airline in Asia Pacific, guaranteed by three TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2017 for airlines which provides full services with Royal Orchid Plus Earn Miles programme. Book your ticket now via www.thaiairways.com or www.thaismileair.com.

About THAI Smile Airways

THAI Smile Airways, a subsidiary airline of THAI Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI), is a regional airline operator for short and medium range flights. The airline operates using "WE" as an airline code and aims to become a favorite airline with the Heart of Thai in Asia. Unlike other carriers, THAI Smile is a "Full Service" airline being Regional Wings of THAI Airways. We provide excellence and quality services to meet the needs of short-haul travelers with an affordable price, while ensuring greatest comfort and convenience for a superior travel experience. The airline fleet consists of 20 aircrafts in 2016 and operates using narrow-body fleet with operation bases located at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Products and services of THAI Smile are suitable for passengers travelling short distances. The airline has adjusted several dimension of its strategy to serve travelers with a tagine: Fly Smart, Fly THAI Smile.

HAIKOU, China, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services, today announced that it has ranked No. 170 on this year's Global Fortune 500 list, rising 183 spots and making one of the biggest jumps on the list this year.

"Being listed on the Global Fortune 500 is an important recognition of our journey from a regional airline based on Hainan Island into a global company," said Chen Feng, Chairman of HNA Group. "We are honored to be listed among the world's largest and most successful companies, which is a testament to our resilient business model, successful diversification and focus on building a global value chain. We are committed to continued growth in a socially sustainable way and will stay true to our core values of integrity, excellence in performance and innovation."

The Global Fortune 500 list ranks companies worldwide by revenue. HNA Group made its debut on the 2015 list and has risen by 294 positions since. Including the full year revenue for the December 2016 acquisition of Ingram Micro, HNA Group would be listed in top 100 companies on the 2017 list. For more information about the list, please visit: http://fortune.com/global500/

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

Asiana Airlines, one of Asia's largest carriers, has begun revenue service with its first A350 aircraft using Panasonic Avionics Corporation's (Panasonic) industry-leading inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) solution. This first aircraft, which was line fit with Panasonic solutions by Airbus, entered passenger service on May 15th having been delivered to the carrier on April 26th.

Panasonic's eX3 system delivers a premium passenger experience through features including audio and video on demand, and a massive content library that can offer over 50 movies, 60 TV shows, games, music and more.

The aircraft will also offer Panasonic's global connectivity service - the only broadband inflight connectivity service operating in every country in the world today - enabling passengers to access the internet via broadband inflight Wi-Fi, and to send and receive calls and text messages.

Hideo Nakano, Chief Executive Officer for Panasonic Avionics said:"We are delighted to announce this partnership with Asiana Airlines. Our word-classsystems providetheir passengers with a globally available and premiuminflight entertainment and connectivity experience."

About Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Panasonic Avionics Corporation is the world's leading supplier of inflight entertainment and communication systems. The company's best-in-class solutions, supported by professional maintenance services, fully integrate with the cabin enabling its customers to deliver the ultimate travel experiences with a rich variety of entertainment choices, resulting in improved quality communication systems and solutions, reduced time-to-market and lower overall costs.

Established in 1979, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, a U.S. corporation, is a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. Headquartered in Lake Forest, California with over 5,000 employees and operations in 80 global locations, it has delivered over 9,000 IFE systems and 1,500 inflight connectivity solutions to the world's leading airlines. For additional information, please visit http://www.panasonic.aero

About Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines was founded in 1988 and has continued to maintain its 5-star rating by Skytrax for 11 consecutive years since 2007. Asiana Airlines operates 79 international passenger routes to 65 destinations in 23 countries and 23 cargo routes to 25 cities in 11 counties. Asiana Airlines is operating state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 aircrafts with in-flight connectivity from May 2017 to provide the ultimate travel experience. Asiana's A350 will be flying to Hong Kong, Manila, Osaka, San Francisco and London by the end of 2017. For more information, please visithttp://kr.flyasiana.com/C/en/main.do

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AIRENTPAVTRNTRAPDTThu, 20 Jul 2017 12:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183272-0.shtmlHONG KONG, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the prestigious oneworld alliance, launched five times weekly non-stop flights service between Hong Kong and Colombo from July 15. To celebrate this special moment in SriLankan's history, SriLankan held a celebration party on the iconic Aqua Luna on July 14, and carried out an opening ceremony at the Hong Kong International Airport on the day of July 15.

SriLankan Airlines hosted a special celebration party to sail around the Victoria Harbor by taking the iconic Aqua Luna on July 14. It was a function full of SriLankan elements, with guests dressing in SriLankan Colors (red, orange and green), SriLankan dance performance, cuisine and Ceylon tea inspired cocktail drink presentations, etc. Sailing on the iconic Aqua Luna with the traditional Chinese red mast is a great wish on the success of Hong Kong-Colombo non-stop flights.

On July 15, SriLankan Airlines Hong Kong-Colombo non-stop flights opening ceremony was held at the Hong Kong International Airport MFC Boarding Gate 219. Mr. Dimuthu Tennakoon, SriLankan Airlines Head of Worldwide Sales and Distribution and Mr. Thusitha Wickramasinghe, SriLankan Airlines' Manager Hong Kong, delivered speeches and wished a great new journey for SriLankan Airlines and the customers. The ceremony reached its climax when all guests proposed a toast to celebrate this special occasion of SriLankan Airlines.

The opening of the non-stop flight to Hong Kong is an important step of SriLankan's expansion strategy in theAsia-Pacific region. Recently, SriLankan Airlines has announced the opening of a number of international routes one after another such as the Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Coimbatore routes in India, and theMelbourne route to be opened in October. The new non-stop service will contribute to SriLankan's strategic development in theAsia-Pacific region and allow more travelers from Hong Kong to better enjoy the hospitality of SriLankan Airlines and the country's natural beauty.

HIGH POINT, North Carolina, July 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For seven weeks beginning today July, 19, 2017 Dynamic International Airways, will operate roundtrip charter flights between Ontario and Nanchang, China. This new air service will run between Ontario International Airport (ONT) and Nanchang Changbei International Airport (KHN) with an intermediate stop in Anchorage, Alaska (ANC).

Nanchang is the capital city of Jiangxi province, which is located in southeastern China. As noted on the airport's website in June, Alan D. Wapner, President of the Ontario International Airport Authority, said that he welcomed Dynamic International Airways and commended the carrier for creating an important link between Ontario and one of China's thriving economic, political and cultural centers.

"The demand for air service between the Los Angeles area and China grows seemingly by the day and we are heartened by Dynamic International Airways' move to Ontario. We will welcome visitors from Nanchang with open arms," Wapner said. "The summer charter flights will serve as a great audition for Ontario as we continue to demonstrate the high value our airport provides for international as well as domestic service," Wapner added.

Dynamic International Airways' operated service to and from Nanchang out of Los Angeles International Airport.

"Dynamic International Airways is dedicated to providing our passengers comfortable, low-cost, long-haul travel with the highest standards for customer service," said Chief Executive Officer Paul Kraus. "We are confident ONT will add nicely to the enjoyable customer experience we strive to deliver with each and every flight."

According to Ontario International Airport, the twice-weekly roundtrips will depart KHN Saturday and Tuesday with a stop-over in Anchorage, AK, (ANC) where passengers and crew will be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and the aircraft will be re-fueled. After passengers re-board, the aircraft will continue to ONT arriving at 9:05 p.m. (PDT).

Return service departing ONT Sunday and Wednesday at 7:35 a.m. (PDT) will likewise pass through Anchorage for refueling.

Dynamic International Airways' service between Ontario and Nanchang is scheduled through August 30.

About Dynamic Intl. Airways

Dynamic International Airways provides excellent, comfortable, low cost, long haul, point-to-point air service. The airline is headquartered in North Carolina and offers service from airports in New York, Guyana, Guayaquil, Saipan, Changchun, Nanchang and Ontario, CA with its fleet of B767 wide body aircrafts.

The global carrier has inaugurated its direct flights to Phuket,one of the most prominenttourist destinations in the world, as beginning from today.

Flying to more countries and also international destinations than any other airline in the world, Turkish Airlines has started to operate four weekly flights to Phuketas from 17th July .

The inaugural flight from Istanbul landed at 8.55am in the Phuket International Airport (HKT) and was welcomed by the customary water cannon salutes in a formal ceremony.

Deputy Chairman and CEO of Turkish Airlines Mr. Bilal Eksi, commented at the launch ceremony; "Turkish Airlines is excited to be bringing more value and connectivity to its passengers through its ever expanding network. As an award-winning airline that invites people to explore the beauties of our world, it was a natural choice for us to decide on Phuket as our next destination."

Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Phuket, starting from 569 American Dollars(including taxes and fees).

Phuket flighttimes as scheduled from July 17th, 2017;

Flight No.

Days

Departure

Arrival

TK 172

Monday, Thursday,

IST 14:30

HKT 04:00+1

Saturday, Sunday

TK 173

Monday, Tuesday,

HKT 05:30

IST 12:00

Friday, Sunday

All times in LMT.

Turkish Cargo has also launched its scheduled freighter flights to the island, the most prominent tourism destination of Thailand.

* Turkish Airlines reserves the right to make changes in this regard.

Turkish Airlines, Inc.Media Relations

About Turkish Airlines:

Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a 4-star airline today with a fleet of 333 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 300 destinations worldwide with 251 international and 49 domestic. According to the 2017 Skytrax survey, Turkish Airlines, already having a six consecutive years of "Best Airline in Europe" award between 2011-2016, now chosen as the "Best Airline in Southern Europe" for the ninth consecutive times. Having won the "Best Economy Class Onboard Catering" award in 2010, Turkish Airlines also awarded as the World's "Best Business Class Onboard Catering" in 2013, 2014 and 2016, and 2017. Winning the "World's Best Business Class Lounge" award in 2015 and 2017, the global carrier also picked up the World's "Best Business Class Lounge Dining" award for the third consecutive years according to this year's survey results. For more information about Turkish Airlines: http://www.turkishairlines.com

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AIRPAVTRAPDTTue, 18 Jul 2017 20:43:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183054-0.shtmlSYDNEY, July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Intense competition in the travel industry means agents and suppliers need to stand out by offering unique experiences that go way beyond price. This Thursday and Friday, 20-21 July in Sydney, travel businesses can learn exactly how to do that at The Travel Industry Exhibition and Conference 2017.

2017 Destinations

The free exhibition has more than 40 exhibitors, from exceptional service providers and up-to-the-minute technology, to unique destinations and hotels. This means travel businesses can see the latest products, compare the latest offerings, and discuss the latest services.

At the Sydney event, free workshops running over both days will cover Europe's and Asia's best destinations in 2017, how to gain credibility and traction through media exposure and social media, how to package smart tours to the ever-growing market of India-Nepal-Sri Lanka, understanding how to maintain your relevance in the crowded retail travel market, tailoring new-era group travel, as well as information on fast-tracking your career, the evolution of travel wholesaling and a case study on the Australian technology and travel success story, iVenture Card.

David Paterson, Event Director with Exhibition and Trade Fairs (ETF), the event's organisers, said, "The Travel Industry Exhibition and Conference 2017 is two days of new ideas, brands and networking to help travel agents and suppliers grow their businesses -- all under one roof. Along with the workshops, the calibre of this year's exhibitors is outstanding."

The India Tourism Board (Stand B28) is the official Sydney event partner. Showcasing one of the world's oldest civilisations, "Incredible India" has an impressive variety of history and culture, and an amazing wealth of sights and sounds, tastes and textures. The tourism board promotes the world's largest democracy with information about India's unique historical, exotic, cultural and tourism products to the Australasia region.

Zagreb, known as the "city with a million hearts", is one of Europe's top destinations in 2017. The Zagreb Tourism Board (Stand A22) provides information and familiarisation trips for journalists and tour operators. The Croatian capital offers historical sites, picturesque farmers' markets, unique venues such as the Museum of Broken Relationships, and a variety of events and musical performances. For two years in a row, its December market was voted "European Best Christmas Market", making the city a magical European destination to celebrate Christmas.

SkyTeam (Stand B22) is an alliance of 20 member airlines that gives access to 1,062 destinations in 177 countries with 17,343 daily departures. Some 672 lounges worldwide cater for 665.4 million passengers annually. Going by the motto "working together to care more about you", SkyTeam member airlines make global travel seamless, whether for business or leisure.

Mr Paterson said, "With the Sydney event just days away, The Travel Industry Exhibition and Conference 2017 is the place to learn how you grow your travel agency or supplier business in today's highly competitive market. Make sure you register for the free exhibition and workshops, while the inaugural Travel Industry Conference, themed 'Agents of Change', features more than 20 leading speakers who will share experiences, big-picture trends, skills development, industry tools and case studies to inspire delegates to shift the way they think about their business, including recognising their own value, and helping them to increase their customer base and grow their business."

The Travel Industry Exhibition and Conference 2017 is on from 20-21 July at the Crystal Palace in Sydney'sLuna Park, and 25-26 July at the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre. To register, or for more information, visit http://travelindustryexpo.com.au.

Program develops regulatory friendly environment to support deep technology

Dubai is calling on the world's most innovative companies to help find solutions to the biggest challenges of the 21st century. The third cycle of its flagship Dubai Future Accelerators program, run by the Dubai Future Foundation, focuses on building partnerships and developing regulatory friendly environments that support deep technology start-ups with the potential to radically improve the world.

Beginning in October this year, government entities and technology partners will join forces to develop innovative solutions for healthcare, education, travel, energy, water, and more. The program integrates 4th Industrial Revolution-inspired technologies such as AI, robotics, blockchain, 3D printing, genetics, and virtual reality, with the government providing regulatory support to develop pilot projects at the city-wide scale.

The first two editions of the program recorded overwhelming success, attracting more than 4,000 applications from the world's most innovative companies. Out of the 65 accepted companies in the first two cycles, 74% signed with a government partner to work on pilot projects.

In the third cycle, the program will launch a new humanitarian accelerator in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives. This is a first of its kind in the Arab World that will connect technology start-ups with UAE's humanitarian sector to multiply their positive impact. It will focus on creating job opportunities for refugees, educating refugee children and increasing Arabic literacy, as well as testing new solutions for water sanitation in underprivileged countries.

Emirates is also joining the Accelerators to drive new opportunities in the aviation sector, using autonomous robotics and personalisation to transform the airline into a, greener, more responsive and sustainable platform for global travel.

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Accelerators, said: "Over the past year, we have enjoyed remarkable success in terms of the enthusiasm of participating government entities and the number of partnerships signed with pioneering companies. This year, we will see new partners come on board to collaborate with global innovators to create advanced working models and future solutions. This will consolidate the UAE's - and Dubai's - position as a leading test bed of government support for technologies that tackle the biggest challenges of our time."

Dubai Future Foundation was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in April 2016, as an independent transformation unit that helps shape the future of Dubai.

The Foundation cooperates with governmental and private entities to co-create the future of strategic sectors in the medium and long term, through the Future Agenda, which focuses on supporting individuals and institutions.

Hong Kong-based Western Tool & Mold (WTM) serves the aerospace interiors market where airlines demand quick turnaround of replacement parts to improve supply chain efficiency, but are often challenged due to the unique geometries of individual components.

"Adding the Stratasys Fortus 900mc Aircraft Interiors Certification edition to our extensive arsenal of Stratasys FDM and PolyJet-based 3D Printing Solutions not only gives us the opportunity to provide repeatable, certified aircraft parts to tier 1 and tier 2 aircraft parts suppliers but also the accompanying documentation process is now automated -- making it easier to meet evolving industry quality standards while freeing up more time to invest in production," said Collin Wilkerson, Managing Director, Western Tool & Mold. "The Stratasys Aircraft Interiors Certification Solution will allow us to work with our customers early in their design and development process and help be more agile than our competition in responding to customer requests."

The Fortus 900mc Aircraft Interiors Certification Solution consists of ULTEM™ 9085 resin, which is a strong, lightweight thermoplastic meeting aerospace flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) regulations (FAR 25.863), and a new edition of the Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer with specialized hardware and software designed to deliver highly repeatable mechanical properties.

Western Tool & Mold is now using the Stratasys technology to 3D print aircraft cabin parts with complex geometries and low quantity demand such as first-class overhead bin lockers and lavatory components. By 3D printing these parts directly from CAD designs, bypassing metal manufacturing processes, WTM's customers can test parts early in the design process and save hundreds of thousands of dollars in manufacturing costs.

"We are gratified that one of our long standing customers, Western Tool & Mold, will be using the Fortus 900mc Aircraft Interiors Certification Solution to improve supply chain efficiency for Asia's aviation industry. This solution minimizes the obstacles that have impeded the wider adoption of 3D printing for aircraft cabin parts - addressing the key issues of repeatability, certification and documentation," said Omer Krieger, President, Stratasys Asia Pacific and Japan. "In addition to providing lightweight, durable parts according to stringent specifications, Stratasys 3D printing enables these parts to be customized according to the airlines' brand design – affording new opportunities to reinforce corporate messaging inflight."

For nearly 30 years, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force in 3D printing and additive manufacturing, shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across vertical markets, including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, education, and consumer products, by enabling new approaches for design and manufacturing. Stratasys solutions offer design freedom and manufacturing flexibility, reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving products and communication. Subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, as well as Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, which offers 3D printed parts on demand. Stratasys also offers Expert Services in North America and over 4 million free, 3D printable design files through its Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities. Stratasys has 1,200 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents and has received more than 30 technology and leadership awards. Online at: www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com/. Follow us on LinkedIn.

Stratasys and Fortus are registered trademarks, and the Stratasys signet is a trademark of Stratasys Ltd. and or its subsidiaries or affiliates. ULTEM is a registered trademark of SABIC or its affiliates or subsidiaries. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Investment Reflects HNA Infrastructure's Commitment to Fostering Connections between China and Latin America, in Keeping with "the Belt and Road" Initiative

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Infrastructure, a subsidiary of HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire a 60% stake in Rio de Janeiro Aeroportos S.A. ("RJA"), which is the controlling shareholder of the Aeroporto Internacional Antônio Carlos Jobim – Galeão ("GIG Airport") in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Odebrecht SA. HNA Infrastructure will acquire the equity stake for approximately 60.1 million reais and will also pay an additional 1.01 billion reais into GIG Airport in concession fees, for a total deal value of approximately 1.07 billion reais.

HNA Infrastructure has agreed to sell 9% of its stake in RJA for 9 million reais to Changi Airports International (CAI). Upon close, HNA Infrastructure and CAI will hold a 51% stake and a 49% stake in RJA, respectively.

GIG Airport is the largest international airport in Rio de Janeiro and provides significant access to the Brazilian and Latin American region, with strong potential for future development and growth. This transaction, which marks HNA Infrastructure's first strategic project in Latin America, is expected to significantly enhance HNA Infrastructure's footprint and resources overseas and in Latin America, specifically.

Guanghui MA, CIO of HNA Infrastructure said, "GIG Airport provides unparalleled opportunities for HNA Infrastructure to expand our reach into Latin America and provide added resources to fuel this key airport's growth and development. We are pleased to partner with CAI, which is well-known for its extensive experience in global airport management and for its leadership in service and safety standards, and look forward to bolstering Rio de Janeiro's infrastructure."

Guanghui MA continued, "This investment is a reflection of HNA Group and HNA Infrastructure's steadfast commitment to furthering 'the Belt and Road' Initiative in order to meaningfully strengthen the cooperation between China and Latin American countries, particularly on development and infrastructure projects. We are pleased to be fostering deeper connections between the regions."

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals in China and Brazil and is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

LISBON, Portugal, July 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services, today announced that its subsidiary, Capital Airlines, has launched a direct air link between China and Portugal. The agreement to launch a direct flight from Beijing to Lisbon was signed during Prime Minister Antonio Costa's visit to Beijing in October 2016 and the new route was unveiled at the inauguration ceremony that was held on July 11 in Lisbon, Portugal. The debut flight is scheduled to take place on July 25, 2017.

The Hangzhou-Beijing-Lisbon route is the airline's first international route between two countries, as well as an important step in the airline's effort to contribute to "the Belt and Road Initiatives" and the goal of re-imagining and recreating a modern version of the ancient trade routes that connected China to Europe. With Beijing as the key hub, Capital Airlines plans to establish more international routes, further extending the connection between China and other countries.

Chen Feng, Chairman of HNA Group, said, "Capital Airlines' direct flight service between China and Portugal will be an important contribution to strengthening cooperation between these two countries by promoting tourism and improving trade and economic relations. This effort is part of HNA's strategy to build the new Silk Road of the 21st Century and bring people and countries closer together."

Capital Airlines plans to integrate all available resources and ensure the success of the new route with quality services and security technologies. With the Airbus wide-body, twin-engine A330 as the aircraft and flights three times a week, the route offers 180 degree fully flat seat in business class and a selection of Lisbon-style delicacies on the food menu. In addition, the tourism resources and a selection of products from Spain and Portugal will further enrich the travel experience for passengers.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

About Capital Airlines

Capital Airlines is a joint venture between HNA Group and the Beijing municipal government, established in 2010. With its seven-year track record, Capital Airlines gradually grew from a small carrier into an influential medium-sized enterprise, with annual passenger traffic exceeding 13 million and a fleet of 72 aircraft. The airline has established ten hubs including overnight parking and maintenance facilities in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Sanya, Haikou, Xi'an, Lijiang, Shenyang, Nanjing and Qingdao, as well as an active international overseas business, having launched more than 260 domestic and international routes which reach 207 destinations worldwide.

HONG KONG, July 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --DHL Supply Chain has commenced management of all aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul logistics activities for Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon in the airlines' home base at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), part of a 10-year contract signed earlier this year.

The contract will see DHL Supply Chain take overall responsibility for the storage, warehousing and domestic transportation of 80,000 specific aviation part types, components and equipment used to maintain Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon's combined fleet of 180 aircraft to the highest safety and operational standards. DHL Supply Chain will also work with incumbent aircraft maintenance provider HAECO to provide additional services including parts inspection and airside operations.

"As such, we are delighted to have engaged DHL Supply Chain as our logistics partner. DHL has an excellent reputation and is tasked to perform safe and efficient supply chain management and handling in extremely complex environments, which adheres to Cathay Pacific's rigorous compliance requirements and operational standards."

"The arrangement that we now have in place allows all three parties to concentrate on their specific core capabilities, namely: airline management (Cathay Pacific), aircraft maintenance (HAECO) and now, DHL will be responsible for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) supply chain management," added Mr. Glenn.

A core team of 120 trained DHL Supply Chain specialists operate on a 24x7x365 basis, managing more than 90,000 sq. ft of warehousing space, processing 1 million unit of spares transaction per annum, round-the-clock transport delivery, and reporting and governance procedures. Operations commenced after approval was obtained from the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department and nearly four months of intensive onboarding and training involving DHL Supply Chain, Cathay Pacific and HAECO.

DHL Supply Chain will begin introducing process improvements and implement new supply chain systems within the initial phase of the contract.

"DHL Supply Chain has invested heavily in building up its capabilities to service the aviation industry's exacting safety and compliance needs. With Hong Kong taking the lead, we are looking at extending this capability in the Greater China region, particularly mainland China and Taiwan," said Yin Zou, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Greater China. "This new contract is a significant addition to our aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul capability and contracts for DHL Supply Chain and will only encourage us to deepen our commitment to airlines looking to streamline and strengthen the logistics processes that keep their fleets and returns aloft."

"This new deal makes Cathay Pacific both the top customer for DHL Supply Chain in Hong Kong, as well as a global pioneer in adopting third-party logistics for aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul," said Jez McQueen, Managing Director, DHL Supply Chain Hong Kong and Macau. "We are extremely honored that one of the world's most respected airlines has turned to us to manage this critical part of the supply chain that ensures the safety of thousands of lives every day. The airline and MRO world is rapidly changing, which means that the supply chain now has a very important role to help organizations meet both their customer promises as well as the financial returns that investors require."

– End –

DHL - The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 340,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as "The logistics company for the world".

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 57 billion euros in 2016.

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AIFAIRPAVTRNCONThu, 13 Jul 2017 16:44:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182728-0.shtmlSTOCKHOLM, July 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GomSpace A/S ("GomSpace") a subsidiary of GomSpace Group AB (publ) (the "Company") together with The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (ST Electronics) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the application and deployment of space-based Very High Frequency (VHF) communications for air traffic management (ATM) in and around the Singapore Flight Information Region (FIR). The MOU was signed by Mr Kevin Shum, Director-General of CAAS, Mr Tang Kum Chuen, President of Satellite Systems Business, ST Electronics, and Mr Niels Buus, CEO of GomSpace, on the third day of the World Civil Aviation Chief Executives Programme (WCACEF) held at the Singapore Aviation Academy.

Space-based VHF communications represents the next level of communications capability, and will complement Singapore's existing ground-based equipment. It is a concept where VHF communications equipment are mounted onto a constellation of low-earth-orbit satellites to enable clear, cost-effective and real-time communications between air traffic controllers and pilots anywhere.[1] The technology will improve safety and enable the safe reduction in separation between aircraft in airspace where ground-based VHF communications is currently not available, increasing ATM capacity and reducing delays for aircraft in turn.

This partnership brings together strong complementary capabilities. As the air navigation services provider for the Singapore FIR, CAAS has decades of experience managing air traffic flows. ST Electronics has more than 45 years of experience in the design, development and integration of advanced electronics and communications systems including real-time mission critical command and control, air traffic management and simulation systems. GomSpace is a leading designer, integrator and manufacturer of high-end nanosatellites for customers in the academic, government and commercial markets.

"CAAS is committed to continually investing in cutting edge and innovative solutions to ensure that we can safely support the growing air traffic in the region. With this collaboration, Singapore will be the first country in the world to move towards space-based VHF communications. This technology will enable CAAS to improve traffic throughput in the Singapore FIR, while enhancing safety and efficiency of ATM," said Mr Shum.

"This MOU marks a significant step in exploring the application of space-based technology to enable smart air traffic operations. We are delighted to partner CAAS and GomSpace on this exciting endeavour. We will leverage our extensive domain knowledge and in-depth engineering capabilities in satellite and communications system design, as well as complex system integration knowhow to research into the development of the spaced-based VHF communications system. ST Electronics is committed to the continued development of innovative and smart technology to enhance ATM and equip air traffic controllers with state-of-the-art communication service for safer and more efficient flight operations," said Mr Tang.

"We are very happy to partner with ST Electronics and CAAS to develop a new innovative high value service based on our unique capabilities to deliver professional nanosatellite solutions for radio applications. The activities under this MOU is a natural continuation of our pioneering work in space-based ATM as we first demonstrated in 2013 and will bring about significant new opportunities for Air Navigation Service Providers and airlines to increase safety and ATM capacity while reducing operations costs," said Mr Buus.

About the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)

The mission of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is to grow a safe, vibrant air hub and civil aviation system, making a key contribution to Singapore's success. CAAS' roles are to oversee and promote safety in the aviation industry, develop the air hub and aviation industry, provide air navigation services, provide aviation training for human resource development, and contribute to the development of international civil aviation. For more information, visit www.caas.gov.sg

About Singapore Technologies Electronics

ST Electronics (Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited) is the electronics arm of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, one of the largest public-listed companies on the Singapore Stock Exchange. ST Electronics is a global engineering company specialising in the design, development and integration of advanced electronics and communications systems. Our capabilities are in Rail & Intelligent Transportation; Satellite & Broadband Communications; Info Comm Technologies; Command & Control operations, Training & Simulation; Intelligent Building & Security Systems and Cybersecurity. We have a presence in over 20 countries spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, China, India and Southeast Asia. For more information, please visit www.stee.stengg.com

About Gomspace Group AB

The Company's business operations are mainly conducted through the wholly-owned Danish subsidiary, GomSpace ApS, with operational office in Aalborg, Denmark. GomSpace is a space company with a mission to be engaged in the global market for space systems and services by introducing new products, i.e. components, platforms and systems based on innovation within professional nanosatellites. The Company is listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier exchange under the ticker GOMX. FNCA Sweden AB is the Company's Certified Adviser. For more information, please visit our website on www.gomspace.com.

[1] VHF communications is currently not available over some parts of the South China Sea, due to the difficulty of siting ground-based equipment. Space-based VHF communications can surmount such limitations.

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AROAIRNETSTWCPRRFITEQWICCONThu, 13 Jul 2017 14:11:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182667-0.shtmlBEIJING, July 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The mild breezes and pleasant temperatures that accompany early summer are the perfect backdrop for the celebration of HNA Group's 24th anniversary. Founded on Hainan Island at the southernmost tip of China, HNA Group transformed from a local air transportation company to a Global Fortune 500 company with operations spanning tourism, finance, logistics and ecological technology.

For this key anniversary moment, many partners of HNA Group sent their regards and expressed their support for the group's continued development.

Xiang Weiming, Vice President of GE and President of GE Aviation Greater China stated: "As an important long-term partner of HNA Group, GE provide the most reliable engines as well as comprehensive services solutions and technical support to the HNA Group as part of our commitment to HNA's fleet operation safety and smoothness. We will continue to enhance our cooperation in terms of corporate culture, leadership training and digital development as well to achieve an across-the-board strategic collaboration."

Partnership that dates back 24 years

On the morning of May 2, 1993, the Hainan Airlines' first Boeing 737-300 aircraft took off from Haikou in Hainan province, announcing the call sign "HU" flying all over China and a new airline taking off. On the same day, GE, along with its joint venture CFM International which provides the engines that power the aircraft, began what became a long-term, close-knit cooperation with the airline.

Over the past 24 years, HNA has evolved from a local airline in Hainan Island to a large multinational conglomerate. GE, has been a supportive partner of the group throughout the courses of the rapid development process.

"I visited Hainan Airlines for the first time on Nov.18th,1992 which was my 2nd day after I joined in GE. By that time, HNA was still in the preparation phase for the airline operation. It is a significant achievement that HNA has grown from a small airline with a fleet of only three leased Boeing 737s to a multinational company with diversified businesses," Xiang Weiming commented, "We are very excited to see the growth of HNA over the past 24 years. "

Helping make dreams come true

In the aviation field, GE has always been a large part of HNA's success by providing excellent engine products and support. As of the end of March 2017, HNA Group operates and manages more than 1,250 aircraft (with 740+ as company assets and 550 leased aircraft), of which more than 50% are equipped with engines built by GE or CFM, the 50/50 joint venture between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines. At present, Hainan Airlines, a HNA Group subsidiary, operates 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which is the largest Boeing 787 fleet among all China's airlines. The GEnx, GE's best-selling engine, powers Hainan Airlines' entire 787 fleet.

Learn from each other as mutual mentors and friends

In addition to product collaboration, HNA and GE together take on various different projects. More importantly, by forming a cooperation model, HNA and GE help and learn from each other along the way.

"Over the past 20+ years, GE and HNA have constantly been learning from each other, and we value the partnership with HNA," said Xiang. In July 2016, HNA sent 20 high-level employees to a 12-day leadership training program at the GE learning center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The training focused on leadership, corporate management strategies, financial practices and aviation technologies. The training program played a significant role in improving the employees' level of knowledge base as well as their management and leadership skill set.

The great partnership between GE and HNA has been best exemplified by the Six Sigma project.

GE was an early adopter of Six Sigma and one of the companies that implemented the program when it was first released back in 1990s. GE was a model to the companies who were targeting the improvement on corporate core competitiveness and economic benefits through Six Sigma. When HNA decided to bring the program in, GE asked Weiming Xiang to take the lead, together with GE Six Sigma trainer launched Six Sigma program in HNA. Over the last decade, GE has assisted HNA in training thousands of its executives, many of whom are now Six Sigma Green Belts and Black Belts.

With the help of GE, HNA launched its own Six Sigma program in 2001 and became one of the first airlines in China to apply such concept. Today, Six Sigma has become part of HNA's corporate culture, improving wide range of areas including work quality and efficiency.

"HNA Group has maintained an excellent corporate culture along with its rapid growth. Employees are encouraged to have open minds on acquiring knowledge and new skillsets. This is indeed all very valuable," said Xiang.

The successful implementation of Six Sigma at HNA brought a great impact on its business management, and has been further promoted to much broader teams in the whole group. In addition to leading-edge business management techniques, HNA's unique development strategy and corporate culture have also become models that have been and continue to be emulated by industry peers and partners.

The Chinese business culture is going abroad

HNA has been and continues to be a dynamic and innovative company in China's civil aviation sector. Through business expansion, HNA goes beyond aviation and has a strong presence in tourism, finance, logistics and eco-technologies.

Over the company's 24 years of existence, HNA has risen to No. 353 on the Fortune Global 500 list from a small airline, having started out with a tiny fleet consisting of only three aircraft. In 2016, the company posted revenue of more than 600 billion yuan (approx. US$88 billion), providing more than 410,000 jobs.

As Xiang Weiming said, "HNA possesses its unique strategy and powerful leadership, which will lead to their continuous business growth."

In addition to the continuous expansion of the business scope, in this new era characterized by rapid change, HNA is committed to reshaping what it means to be a business-oriented enterprise in the second decade of the 21st century, by creating and building a unique operation and management mechanism.

HNA, by integrating the interests of the greater society, its partners and itself, has created a novel management model emphasizing personnel training has always been an important part of HNA's corporate culture. The group advocates to its employees the need to embrace change and enhance one's skillsets, so that the employees will survive the transformation that is taking place across every industry. Along with that thought, HNA has developed and implemented a unique program for selecting, employing, training, evaluating and retaining talented individuals. The group's various talent training systems are designed to develop human resources based on different needs and goals, opening up a clear development channel for employees. The company has in place a rotation plan for employees with diversified management roles to move across several departments while diversified leadership improvement training programs create an international growth platform for executives and staff.

"As a partner, GE and HNA are all global companies now, and there are more best practices we can share in term how to conduct the business globally, talent & leadership development, corporate govern & compliance policy etc. GE Aviation would like to continue to cooperate with HNA and grow together globally," Xiang added.

Hong Kong-based Western Tool & Mold (WTM) serves the aerospace interiors market where airlines demand quick turnaround of replacement parts to improve supply chain efficiency, but are often challenged due to the unique geometries of individual components.

"Adding the Stratasys Fortus 900mc Aircraft Interiors Certification edition to our extensive arsenal of Stratasys FDM and PolyJet-based 3D Printing Solutions not only gives us the opportunity to provide repeatable, certified aircraft parts to tier 1 and tier 2 aircraft parts suppliers but also the accompanying documentation process is now automated -- making it easier to meet evolving industry quality standards while freeing up more time to invest in production," said Collin Wilkerson, Managing Director, Western Tool & Mold. "The Stratasys Aircraft Interiors Certification Solution will allow us to work with our customers early in their design and development process and help be more agile than our competition in responding to customer requests."

The Fortus 900mc Aircraft Interiors Certification Solution consists of ULTEM™ 9085 resin, which is a strong, lightweight thermoplastic meeting aerospace flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) regulations (FAR 25.863), and a new edition of the Fortus 900mc Production 3D Printer with specialized hardware and software designed to deliver highly repeatable mechanical properties.

Western Tool & Mold is now using the Stratasys technology to 3D print aircraft cabin parts with complex geometries and low quantity demand such as first-class overhead bin lockers and lavatory components. By 3D printing these parts directly from CAD designs, bypassing metal manufacturing processes, WTM's customers can test parts early in the design process and save hundreds of thousands of dollars in manufacturing costs.

"We are gratified that one of our long standing customers, Western Tool & Mold, will be using the Fortus 900mc Aircraft Interiors Certification Solution to improve supply chain efficiency for Asia's aviation industry. This solution minimizes the obstacles that have impeded the wider adoption of 3D printing for aircraft cabin parts - addressing the key issues of repeatability, certification and documentation," said Omer Krieger, President, Stratasys Asia Pacific and Japan. "In addition to providing lightweight, durable parts according to stringent specifications, Stratasys 3D printing enables these parts to be customized according to the airlines' brand design – affording new opportunities to reinforce corporate messaging inflight."

For nearly 30 years, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force in 3D printing and additive manufacturing, shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across vertical markets, including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, education, and consumer products, by enabling new approaches for design and manufacturing. Stratasys solutions offer design freedom and manufacturing flexibility, reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving products and communication. Subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, as well as Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, which offers 3D printed parts on demand. Stratasys also offers Expert Services in North America and over 4 million free, 3D printable design files through its Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities. Stratasys has 1,200 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents and has received more than 30 technology and leadership awards. Online at: www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com/. Follow us on LinkedIn.

Stratasys and Fortus are registered trademarks, and the Stratasys signet is a trademark of Stratasys Ltd. and or its subsidiaries or affiliates. ULTEM is a registered trademark of SABIC or its affiliates or subsidiaries. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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AIRCPRMACPELTRNCONTue, 11 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182445-0.shtmlBEIJING, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a Chinese multi-national corporation headquartered in Hainan Island, starting as a local air carrier and growing up to a Global Fortune 500 company with multiple businesses operations including tourism, finance, logistics and eco-technology, is celebrating its 24th anniversary.

During the group's anniversary celebrations, HNA Group's partners have commended the group for its outstanding achievements through the years and given their support for continued growth and success in the future. Bob Leduc, president of Pratt & Whitney, an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations, said, "Over the past 24 years, HNA Group has gone from a local air transport company based in Hainan Island to a Global Fortune 500 conglomerate. The story of the group makes for an inspiring chapter in the global aviation industry."

Committed to developing green aviation

HNA Group established the Green Aviation Initiative & Network in cooperation with key strategic partners, Pratt & Whitney and its parent company United Technologies in June 2016, as a move to boost the future development of the green aviation industry in the course of becoming an environmentally responsible aviation.

How to use energy more efficiently, how to protect the environment and how to reduce the carbon footprint have been some of the hot topics across the world's civil aviation industry. The Green Aviation Initiative & Network serves as an international exchange platform for connecting the entire industry chain at a global level as well as encouraging cross-border interaction, industrial collaboration and joint innovation.

As of June 2017, the one-year old Green Aviation Initiative & Network has already made some notable achievements, one is which is bringing together 27 leading companies and organizations with a presence in the aviation industry to sponsor and support the platform construction of the project. In November 2016, 12 organizations, including HNA Group and United Technologies, jointly released Green Aviation Whitepaper 2016 through the network, drawing much attention and receiving positive feedback from players across the Chinese aviation industry.

Mr. Cai commented, "From a new perspective focusing on sustainable development, the Green Aviation Whitepaper reviews the development of the aviation industry, while HNA Group and United Technologies' strategic cooperation in green aviation allows them to make a contribution to the building of a sustainable and environmentally responsible aviation environment."

By researching the aviation industry's low energy consumption, low emission and low pollution practices across the entire process, from design to testing and manufacturing, the whitepaper advocates industrial competitiveness, moving the industry from a sole focus on creating market value to comprehensive economic, social and environmental value creation, as well as improving the respond capability to climate change. Over the next two years, the Green Aviation Initiative & Network plans to expand its presence across all aviation-related industries by demonstrating the basic benefits of an environmentally responsible aviation ecosystem.

Promoting the development of a green aviation industry with clean power

Both as joint sponsors and members of the executive committee of the Green Aviation Initiative & Network, HNA Group and United Technologies have formed a long-term and in-depth partnership based on their shared passion for environmental protection and the public interest as well as their strong sense of responsibility for the development of the industry.

In 2002, HNA Group received its first Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney's PW4056 engine.

Due to continuous technological advances in the aviation industry, energy efficiency improvement and carbon emissions reduction through the application of advanced technologies have become a standard approach in the industry. In tandem with the trend, HNA Group has equipped its fleet with Pratt & Whitney's revolutionary PurePower geared turbofan engine. The advanced PurePower engine has been proven to reduce energy consumption by 16 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent and engine noise footprint by 75 percent when compared to traditional engines.

An innovative approach to making a contribution for the benefit of the greater good

Mr. Cai indicated that, innovation is a driving force to sustainable development for both Pratt & Whitney and HNA Group.

He added, "We look forward to working with HNA Group to open a new chapter in the aviation industry characterized by innovation driven by a changing environment."

As a case in point, HNA Group continues to innovate in its approaches to environmental protection and contribution to the public interest, as well as pioneer in incorporating public interest programs into its daily operations while enhancing its social responsibility commitment. At the end of 2016, HNA Group initiated the Green Tour program, a public benefit program in the form of carbon footprint offset. As the first innovative public interest program launched by a Chinese airline, Green Tour aims to become a benchmark brand in the green aviation sector through enhancing public awareness by inviting travelers to become the advocates of environmental protection. Passengers of HNA Group's flights are invited to offset their carbon footprint through voluntary donations or Fortune Wings Club points. The passenger can calculate the extent of their carbon footprint using the Carbon Footprint calculator which could be found on Hainan Airlines' official website, their mobile phone or at the airport self-check-in terminals. The donations will be used to support the reforestation program of the China Green Carbon Foundation.

To date, the Green Tour program has donated 500,000 yuan (approx. US$73,561) to the China Green Carbon Foundation for the conservation and recovering of the Dongzhaigang Mangrove Forest in Haikou, Hainan province, China Further donations will go to a program to plant trees and conduct conservation campaigns in cities across China struggling to control smog and desertification. The Green Tour program will provide HNA Group's Fortune Wings Club members with a carbon footprint offset map, which includes graphs showing the ways the carbon footprint is offset. The open and transparent program allows more passengers to participate in environmentally-friendly carbon offset efforts. The program is expected to go a long way in conveying the concept of green and low-carbon development and enhancing the airline's commitment to build a green aviation together with their passengers.

With the mission of becoming an advocate of an environmentally responsible lifestyle, a green industry leader, a green service supplier and a green development pioneer, HNA Group will continue promoting a green, low carbon economy and supporting to develop the ecologically sound development and environmentally responsible China in the world. HNA Group's subsidiaries and affiliates are also targeting towards key strategic green growth. In March 2015, Hainan Airlines inaugurated China's first passenger flight running on sustainable biofuel.

The fight, carrying more than 100 passengers from Shanghai to Beijing, was powered by a fuel blend, half of which was an aviation-grade biofuel while the remainder was traditional petroleum-based fuel. The biofuel was derived from discarded cooking oil. Compared to the petroleum-based fuel, the biofuel, which can be produced sustainably, is able to reduce the carbon emissions by between 50 and 80 percent and plays a key role in supporting the development of the aviation industry while ensuring the industry's commitment to environmental protection.

A focus on both growth and social responsibility

Over the past 24 years, HNA Group has made quantum leaps in performance and has been praised by industry watchers as a miracle in the history of aviation business. From a traditional air transportation company starting on a small island South of China to a large global conglomerate with presence all over the globe, from three leased aircraft to operating and managing a comprehensive fleet exceeding 1,250 airplanes, including wide-body aircraft, regional jets and helicopters, and overseeing 1,200 routes crisscrossing the planet, HNA Group is a proud global company to ranks 353rd on the Fortune Global 500 list. By the end of 2016, the group created more than 410,000 working opportunities and achieved annual revenue of over 600 billion yuan (approx. US$88.3 billion). Pratt Whitney is very proud of HNA Group's achievements in terms of the speed of the group's growth and the outstanding performance over the 24 years. Mr. Cai noted that Pratt & Whitney looks forward to even greater successes in its collaborations with HNA Group in the coming years. Most notably, HNA Group's ultimate goal aims at making contribution to the society and benefit for the greater good.And it has always been at the core of the group's corporate philosophy since the day one.

To date, HNA Group has donated over 10 billion yuan (approx. US$1.47 billion) to worthy charities. The group has cooperated with UNESCO, the World Food Programme and UNICEF, to deliver philanthropic activities such as Ghana School Feeding Program, Change for Good and Inspired Gifts, as well as many other programs supporting education and women rights in Asia and Africa. In addition, the group is committed to long-term public welfare programs in China, including Brightness Action, Benevolence Well and Send Love Home. Over the next decade, HNA Group also plans to donate 1 billion yuan (approx. US$150 million) to ecological protection poverty alleviation programs for those financially disadvantaged in Hainan province.

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AIRALTENVGRETRAMon, 10 Jul 2017 20:20:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182441-0.shtmlTIANJIN, China, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On July the 3rd, 2017, Tianjin Airlines successfully started to operate the international flight between Tianjin and Vladivostok.

The launch of the flight represents rapid pace of Tianjin Airlines' internationalization. In future, Tianjin Airlines will be devoted to constructing Tianjin as the second air passage after Beijing.

The flight schedule between Tianjin and Vladivostok is as below:

Flight No.

From

Departure

To

Arrival

Day of Week

GS7969

Tianjin

23:55

Vladivostok

4:10+1

Mon. Fri.

GS7970

Vladivostok

5:40

Tianjin

6:30+1

Mon. Fri.

Under the call of the "One Belt & One Road Initial" and the integration of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and with the independent introduction of the first A330 wide-body aircraft, Tianjin Airlines concentrates on the international market and has opened nearly 10 international air routes, including Tianjin=Chongqing=London, Tianjin=Chongqing=Auckland. In March this year, Tianjin Airlines introduced its third A330 wide-body aircraft and entered the rapid track of internationalization. So far, Tianjin Airlines has operated 30 international air routes, including air routes from Tianjin, Xi'an, Haikou, Dalian and other air bases to regions and countries like Japan, Korea, Russia, Cambodia, Thailand, UK and New Zealand. Flights have covered 120 cities and the annual passenger traffic has exceeded 12 million.

In 2017, Tianjin Airlines will launch new air routes from Tianjin to Xi'an to London and from Chongqing to Melbourne. In future, Tianjin Airlines plans to open more air routes from China to Europe, America and Oceania, such as to Paris, New York, San Francisco and Saipan.

Tianjin Airlines will follow the national strategy of "One Belt & One Road Initiative", promote the connection between Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the southwest region of China and Europe, making contributions to the collaborative development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei and easy life for people in these regions.

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AIFAIRLEIPAVTRAPDTMon, 10 Jul 2017 19:43:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182426-0.shtmlAdam Tan Invited as the Top Private Sector Leader from Asia to Speak Alongside European Heads of State and Key Government Ministers on the Importance of Infrastructure Development]]>

WARSAW, Poland, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism logistics and financial services, today announced that Adam Tan, CEO of HNA Group, recently participated in and spoke at the Atlantic Council's Global Forum to underscore the Company's commitment to pursuing transportation and infrastructure development opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe. As one of the top private sector leaders invited by European governments to participate in the conference, Mr. Tan met with the heads of states from major Central and Eastern European countries, including Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia and Bulgaria, among others, and spoke at a number of events including a panel on infrastructure where he also advised on the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

with President of Croatia (PRNewsfoto/HNA Group)

with President of Poland (PRNewsfoto/HNA Group)

As part of the summit, Mr. Tan had dinner with the President of Poland, Mr. Andrzej Duda, and the twelve heads of state at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. U.S. President Trump marked his first official visit to Poland, attending the meetings on July 6, as well as delivering his first address to this group of nations, which Mr. Tan also attended.

The Global Forum, organized by the Atlantic Council and with the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), convened world leaders, leading transatlantic strategists, business representatives, scholars and members of the media to discuss the opportunities and challenges Europe faces from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic and Black seas. The Forum focused on creating opportunities for cross-border energy, transportation and telecommunications infrastructure across Europe, the future of NATO, Russia, and the challenges posed in the current political environment. Mr. Tan was invited to provide the European government officials his thoughts on how they can best work with private sector companies, like HNA Group, to enhance European infrastructure.

Adam Tan said, "I am honored to participate in such a prestigious event and to have the opportunity to meet with the heads of states from some of the most forward-thinking countries across the world, to discuss the key opportunities and challenges facing Europe. As a leader in aviation infrastructure and related sectors with major assets in Europe - including Avolon in aircraft leasing, Swissport and Gategroup in airport and aviation services, and Carlson Rezidor in hotels and tourism - HNA Group provides much of the airport infrastructure in many European airports, working seamlessly with the host governments. HNA is committed to establishing additional partnerships in Central and Eastern Europe as we continue to build out our business in Europe."

Adam Tan continued, "Since our founding in 1993, we have been committed to bringing a small world closer together, in line with the mission of the Three Seas Initiative. We look forward to continuing the important dialogue that took place here in Warsaw and to be a part of driving economic development and job creation for all through public and private partnerships that facilitate the safe, secure and reliable movement of people and goods in a way that enables businesses to grow and thrive."

Already today, through its flagship Hainan Airlines and other subsidiary airlines, HNA Group offers direct commercial flights connecting Beijing with Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Manchester and Lisbon, while other flights link major cities in China such as Chongqing, Hangzhou and Xi'an with key destinations in Europe such as Paris and Rome.

In March 2017, HNA Group and the Government of the Republic of Serbia entered into a strategic cooperation framework under which HNA Group will work with the Serbian Government to launch direct flights between Serbia and China, build an aviation training center, lease and operate airports, and explore other joint investment opportunities.

HNA Group joined the Atlantic Council in June 2017 in support of the Council's mission of promoting constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs to meet global challenges.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, more than $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across the Americas, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services. For more information, visit http://www.hnagroup.com.

Starting from July 6, 2017, members of the Fortune Wings Club may accrue Fortune Wings status qualifying points and award points when flying Virgin Australia between and within Australia and New Zealand and Greater China (mainlandChina, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). Conversely, members of Virgin Australia's frequent flyer program can also accrue Velocity points when using four member airlines of the Fortune Wings Club, including Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Capital Airlines and Tianjin Airlines.

In August, details on the award tickets redemption and reciprocal elite benefits in August will be announced. At that time, members of either program will be able to redeem their points for award tickets on the other party's flights, and elite members will enjoy a variety of elite privileges, such as priority check-in, additional free baggage allowance, lounge access and priority boarding, when traveling on the other airline's flight.

Since their equity cooperation in 2016, the HNA Group and Virgin Australia have entered into a number of cooperative agreements including codeshare. The launching of cooperation on frequent flyer programs represents the first major step forward by both sides in business cooperation.

Virgin Australia is based in Brisbane and operates over 3,000 flights per week to more than 40 Australian cities. Velocity members may earn Points when flying to more than 600 destinations worldwide with Virgin Australia or 17 airline partners "Virgin Australia is one of the most important strategic partners of the HNA Group", said Sun Jianfeng, President of Hainan Airlines. "The Fortune Wings Club and Velocity have begun a cooperative effort in their frequent flyer programs, which will not only expand members' ability to earn points, but the upcoming redemption and reciprocal elite benefits will also create a perfect experience for members."

At present, the four member airlines of The Fortune Wings Club, namely Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Capital Airlines and Tianjin Airlines, operate eight routes and more than 70 weekly flights from Hong Kong and 7 destinations in mainland China to Australia and New Zealand. The new cooperation with Velocity will enhance the market competitiveness of both airlines' international routes between China and Australia.

BERLIN, July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services, today announced that Chen Feng, Chairman of the Board of Directors of HNA Group, attended the state banquet hosted by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, on July 5.

The state banquet was part of a series of events organized in conjunction with President Xi Jinping's second state visit to Germany. The visit, which aims to cement ties between the two countries and push forward series of cooperation agreements, marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-Germany diplomatic ties.

"I am honored to have been invited to the banquet and to have has the opportunity to speak with President Steinmeier and President Xi about the importance of deepening the bilateral ties between China and Germany," said Chairman Chen. "As a global company with Chinese roots, we believe constructive communication between China and Europe is essential to further boost global trade. HNA Group is committed to playing an important role in fostering economic growth everywhere we operate, as well as working to help promote the cultural ties between China and Germany. I am pleased to reaffirm HNA Group's commitment to further business development and investment activity in Germany and across Europe and we look forward to continuing to improve trade connectivity between China and this important global region."

HNA Group has played an important role in bringing two of the world's major economies closer together. In September 2008, Hainan Airlines, HNA Group's flagship carrier launched direct flights connecting Beijing and Berlin. Through June 2017, this route has served more than 570,000 passengers, supporting the people-to-people exchanges upon which strong, mutually beneficial business relationships are based.

In 2017 alone, HNA Group has made several significant investments in the German market, including acquiring an 82.5% shares of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, which is located 125 kilometers away from Frankfurt, the biggest city of Hesse-Darmstadt. In May 2017, HNA Group became the largest shareholder of Deutsche Bank, one of the world's leading and Germany's largest financial services providers. China became Germany's largest trading partner for the first time last year, with bilateral trade volume between China and Germany exceeding $151 billion in 2016.

As a global leader in aviation infrastructure and related sectors, HNA Group's other major European assets include Avolon in the aircraft leasing sector, Swissport and Gategroup in airport and aviation services, and Carlson Rezidor in the hotels and tourism industry.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, more than $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across the Americas, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services. For more information, visit http://www.hnagroup.com.

SHENZHEN, China, July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- "Since its invention in the 1960s, the laser has evolved from 'solution looking for a problem' to a tool becoming indispensable in many application fields, spanning multiple industries," explains Royce Lee, Sales Director of Consumer Electronics Industry, Laser Technology, TRUMPF. And he adds: "Advances in laser technologies ranging from power scaling to ultra-short pulse technologies and cost per watt reduction has further accelerated the adoption of this technology in many areas."

Under a dynamic context investigated by Yole's analysts, countless technical issues, business opportunities, and emerging applications have been identified. Laser technologies are today undoubtedly present in many industries including the impressive semiconductor industry with applications focused on process manufacturing (dicing - lithography and debonding process steps). What is the status of the laser technologies today? Applications and related market segments, technology challenges, competitive landscape and more will be discussed at the1st Executive Forum on Laser Technologies. Yole, in collaboration with CIOE and EPIC developed a relevant program of presentations, Q&A and networking sessions to explore this industry.

"The 1st Executive Laser Technology Forum is a market & technology focused program," announces Eric Yang, Vice General Manager at CIOE. "Because of the leading market positioning of companies based in South China, especially involved in laser micro processing applications, both partners Yole & CIOE mutually decided to set up the Laser Forum in Shenzhen, China. This collaboration shows the growing adoption of laser technologies in numerous industries, for many applications. Laser Forum is a unique opportunity for industrial players to learn more about the technologies status and meet related experts".

"Laser applications in the semiconductor industry are quite broad and diversified", comments Amandine Pizzagalli, Technology & Market Analyst, Advanced Packaging & Semiconductor Manufacturing at Yole. Therefore, various type of laser technologies can be applied in major semiconductor processes such as welding, drilling, cutting, annealing, and debonding. The selection of the most suitable laser processing type is strongly depending on the material you want to process, the related processing parameters as well as the manufacturing process steps. "The penetration of laser technologies in each market segment is evolving independently", adds Amandine Pizzagalli from Yole. "Laser technologies growth is depending on the technology maturity and the complexity of the semiconductor manufacturing process steps as well as the status of the semiconductor market segments.

Sponsorship opportunities are available at this forum. To receive more information, contact Camille Veyrier.

About China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE) (www.cioe.cn/en/)Established in 1999, CIOE is the largest show of its kind in the world featuring over 3,200 optoelectronic brands and their latest products in the area of 110,000 sqm at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. There are concurrent specialized expositions focusing on Optical Communications and Sensors, Lasers, Infrared Applications, Precision Optics, LEDs, Emerging Display, Sapphire Technology & Touch Screen and Photonics Innovations.

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AIRAUTHRDCPRCSEECPSEMTDSThu, 6 Jul 2017 09:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182012-0.shtmlBRISBANE, Australia, July 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hainan Airlines plans to launch a non-stop service between Shenzhen, China and Brisbane, Australia on September 20, 2017. Following the successful launch of the Shenzhen-Auckland service, this will be Hainan Airlines' second intercontinental flight from Shenzhen and the airline's fifth direct flight to Australia and New Zealand.

Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, a state in northeast Australia, stretches from the eastern coastline to the western inland, with the Gold Coast to the south, the Sunshine Coast to the north, the towns of Ipswich and Toowoomba to the west, and the Tasman Sea to the east. Brisbane is the third largest municipality in Australia in terms of population, following Sydney and Melbourne, with an airport serving both domestic and international destinations as well as an international harbor lining both sides of the Brisbane River.

Brisbane has hosted a variety of world-class competitions and major conferences, including the G20 summit, the Commonwealth Games, the World Expo, the Goodwill Games and the Asia Pacific Cities Summit. The launch of non-stop service between Shenzhen and Brisbane, two cities that established a sister city relationship in 1992, is expected to greatly promote the political and economic cooperation as well as trading opportunities between the two metropolitan regions in addition to further expanding Shenzhen's international air route networks. This, in turn, will help to raise the visibility of the Chinese city as an international aviation hub.

The route will be serviced by an Airbus A330 deluxe wide-body aircraft, with two round trip flights weekly. The service's business class features spacious and comfortable cabins, 180-degree adjustable lie-flat seats, BOSE headsets and top quality toiletry bags. Passengers in all classes will have access to an exclusive on-demand entertainment system and a gourmet selection of Western and Oriental meals. Hainan Airline has created an unmatched flying experience for its business-class passengers with a diversified range of services to meet their traveling needs, including pick-up and delivery shuttle services, multiple round-trip ticket packages, priority in seat selection and cabin upgrades.

With its high quality services and constant commitment to innovation, Hainan Airlines has been named a SKYTRAX five-star airline for seven consecutive years and was listed among the Top 10 SKYTRAX carriers. Since 1993, the airline has rolled out more than 1,000 domestic and international routes from and to nearly 100 cities across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. The airline also has one of the world's best safety records in that it has not had a major accident in its 24 years of operation and was ranked third in airline safety in 2016 by JACDEC, a German airline safety data evaluation firm, the best achieved by a mainland Chinese carrier.

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AIRLEIPAVTRNTRAPDTTue, 4 Jul 2017 16:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/181959-0.shtmlHONG KONG, July 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, is pleased to announce the commencement of the direct flight services between Hong Kong and Colombo, the business hub of Sri Lanka, effective from July 15th, 2017.

Accordingly, SriLankan will have five (05) non-stop flights from Hong Kong to Colombo connecting 48 countries and 101 destinations within SriLankan's network and over 1000 destinations via the oneworld alliance network.

The flight schedule is as follows:

From

To

Departure

Arrival

Days of Operation

HKG

CMB

0200

0450

Thu, Sat

HKG

CMB

1815

2105

Mon, Thu, Sat

SriLankan Airlines is pleased to upgrade its connectivity between Colombo and Hong Kong through the introduction of non-stop flights, which will allow us to offer a wider choice and added convenience to our passengers. The Airline has identified APAC region as a prime component in its expansion strategy and we will continue to look for potential to consolidate our presence in the region.

The commencement of the Hong Kong-Colombo direct operations is yet another progressive initiative launched by SriLankan Airlines focusing on the region, offering travelers to and from Hong Kong, seamless travel experience to Middle Eastern destinations namely Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman; Europe and North America via London; and the SAARC region's main cities including Male and Gan Island in the Maldives, Dhaka in Bangladesh, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Trichy, Trivandrum, Kochi, Madurai, Kolkata, Varanasi and Bodh Gaya in India.

With SriLankan Airlines, passengers are now able to experience traditional Sri Lankan warmth and hospitality, while enjoying an award-winning and world class on-board experience, complete with the latest entertainment, cozy on-board comforts and delectable cuisine. Welcome aboard this direct flight to Colombo!

PARIS, July 3, 2017/PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services, today announced that it hosted a number of leading academics and international relations specialists in a symposium on the recently published book, "DNA of HNA," by Hong Jun, on June 30 at L 'Hotel d' Evreuxin Paris, France. Consistent with the central themes of the book, the discussion focused on the origins of HNA Group's success story, the company's unique corporate culture, and the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures in the modern era.

The "DNA of HNA" Book Event was hosted in the L 'Hotel d' Evreux in Paris

Speakers at the symposium shared their own perspectives and insights on commonalities between Eastern and Western cultures and the importance of cultural integration alongside financial and economic globalization. Participants included Professor Guo Yicai from Imperial College London; Professor Yuri Pines from Jerusalem Hebrew University; Associate Professor Zhang Xing from Peking University; renowned sinologist Jacques Pimpaneu; Renaud De Spens, former press officer to the French Embassy in China; Cyrille Javary, Director of the I Ching Paris Research Centre; and Gerard Hua, Director of the French China Foundation. HNA Group Vice Chairman Lu Ying, HNA Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer Zhang Ling, HNA Group Chief Operating Officer and Head of Human Resources Gao Jian, and Miao Weisheng from the HNA Economic Research Institute also participated in the event, which was held as part of HNA Paris International Week, a week-long series of events hosted by HNA Group to celebrate its global platform.

HNA Group Vice Chairman Lu Ying takes part in the debate

HNA Group's Vice Chairman Lu Ying said, "HNA Group's Paris International Week has been about celebrating our global achievements and encouraging a dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures, and a discussion of the 'DNA of HNA' was a fitting way to help bring the week to a close. We were pleased to host renowned academics and representatives from France and China to explore not only HNA Group's evolution but also the profound ways in which Eastern and Western societies are integrating and cooperating in order to produce a more harmonious global society."

"DNA of HNA" was originally published in China on 18thMay 2017 by Zhonghua Book Company and will be distributed globally in seven languages. HNA Group plans to hold additional symposia and panel discussions in other locations later this year.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

"Growing transit capacity on routes between Europe and Asia is one of our highest strategic priorities, and this data clearly illustrates the success of our efforts," Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said. "It is of particular significance that we have taken the #1 spot in an open and highly competitive segment of the market. Aeroflot Group is perfectly positioned on transit routes between Europe and Asia, and we intend to realise our potential to the full."

Aeroflot flies to 52 non-Russian destinations in Europe and 13 non-Russian destinations in Asia, including four Chinese cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Boosting transit traffic between Europe and Asia is a strategic priority for the airline, as it takes advantage of its modern and favourably positioned hub at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

Long-haul capacity connecting Europe and Asia is set to grow by 6% overall this year, according to anna.aero's analysis of OAG data. This compares to 2% growth in both 2016 and 2015.

Aeroflot is increasingly recognised as a leader in the Asian market. In April 2017, Aeroflot was named Favourite International Airline in China at the prestigious Flyer Awards in Shanghai. Aeroflot Russian Airlines traffic as measured by passengers carried grew by 13.1% in the first five months of 2017. Aeroflot Group passengers carried increased by 15.9% over the same period.

About Aeroflot

Aeroflotis Russia's flagship carrier and a proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. Aeroflot and its partners serve 1,062 destinations in 177 countries worldwide. In 2016, Aeroflot carried 29 million passengers (43.4 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries).

Aeroflotbecame the first Russian airline to be awarded Four Star Airline status by Skytrax in recognition of the high-quality of its customer service.In 2017, Aeroflotwas named Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the sixthtime at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

In 2017, Aeroflotwas named the most powerful brand in Russia and the world's strongest airline brand by leading valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance. Aeroflot was also named Best Major Airline in Europe by TripAdvisor travellers and recognised as the Favourite International Airline in China at the Flyer Award Ceremony 2017.

Aeroflotoperates one of the youngest fleets in the world with 197 aircraft. Aeroflot is based in Moscow, at Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Aeroflotis among the global leaders in aviation safety, with a European Community Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) Index, the main globally recognized safety parameter, comparable to global peers.

The first Russian carrier to enter the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) register, renewing its registration for the seventh time in 2017,Aeroflothas successfully passed the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and is fully ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 compliant.

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AIRPAVTRNTRASVYMon, 3 Jul 2017 19:21:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/181758-0.shtmlThe Integrated Civilization of the East and West]]>
BEIJING, June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 787 Dream Jet, which is the first one all over the world came to Paris on June 28, 2017 and started its three-day itinerant exhibition of Paris Station, which is called "Dreams Encounter the World". Again, Deer Jet shows the customers worldwide the art style of top and upscale business travel provider in the capital of fashion and art.

The Moment that the 787 Dream Jet Arrives in Paris, the Global Capital of Art and Fashion

The Experiencing Quota Has Been Fulfilled on the First Day of Paris Station

Deer Jet has conducted its global itinerant exhibition for worldwide market since last September when the 787 Dream Jet came into service. The 787 Dream Jet has flying across seven cities in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America; it adds the local culture essence at different legs of the itinerant exhibition, combines the art and travel perfectly, and make all the guests who is personal on the scene full of praise.

The legendary crystal brand, Saint Louis, which obtained the royal named right over 400 years ago in Paris, the world's capital of fashion and art, adds some romantic classical charm to the 787 Dream Jet with extraordinary and exclusive crystal technique. Meanwhile, the silverware brand, Puiforcat, which is regarded as one of the national treasure of France, created a cross-link of time with the style which is between retro and innovative design, traditional and modern times. Every jewelry watch of De Tournemire brand is customized according to the ideas and conception of customers, which displays the smartness and diligence of designers used to endow life to an artistic work. Particularly, the old-brand art gallery, Galerie Dumonteil, combines the orient gentleness with the Occident frankness via the smart and mellow sculptures, which helps the dream business liner reveal the comprehensive art feast with both east and west cultures in artistic Paris.

This exhibition triggers many responses from the upscale business travel market in Paris, attractting the continuous stream of visitors, obtaining the courteous reception of the experiencing quota for the 787 Dream Jet being fulfilled on the first day.

The Only Aviation Artwork All Over the World

The 787 Dream Jet takes 787-8 as the prototype, which is designed by the famous French aircraft interior stylist, Jacques Pierre jean who took 2 years and a half to design. It is the only corporate aircraft 787 which started commercial operation around the world and processed by Hainan Airlines Group. Deer Jet, the professional corporate aircraft company subordinated to Hainan Airlines Group, registered the aircraft in BAS Guernsey by its Hong Kong branch to provide a more comprehensive service for the global upscale business travel market.

In order to make sure that every passenger gets the best travel experience, Deer Jet selects pilots and attendants with harsh standard from the Hainan Airlines which is one of the top ten airlines around the globe, especially enacts the seven-star service standard and trains staff based on it, specially organizes the "dream service team" and satisfies the all-round travel demands of customers with steward service pattern. The above-mentioned facts and the efficient global operation system that has been formed during the past 22 years make the 787 Dream Jet the only "aviation artwork" all over the world.

The 787 Dream Jet Comes into Existence as the Situation Requires

Deer Jet has been in operation since 1995, becoming the biggest business aviation company in Asia in 2001. Recently, Deer Jet is setting its sights on the goal of leading the global business aviation industry. Under the guidance of the state policy "Belt and Road", Deer Jet has successively completed its acquisition of Asia Jet, the strategic cooperation with UAS which is a world’s leading trip support company and head-quartered in Dubai, and its FBO network is covering the Asia Pacific. A more creative world-leading product is an inevitable choice for seeking the breakthrough of brand and market when all the conditions are satisfied.

Meanwhile, the service of international upscale business travel service market is being upgraded in the recent years. With upturns in the global corporate aircraft market and continued depression of oil price, the demand of nonstop journey has become more eager among customers, and the large-size of airplane in international upscale business travel market has become a trend. On the other hand, some corporate aircraft companies in European and America has started transforming the Boeing 757 or even Boeing 777 into full first-class structure for the purpose of global travel service. Some of them are equipped with social activity area, which improves the long flight experience. As a national brand which strives to become a leader in international market, Deer Jet also is bound to keep the pace with the development of international market.

Now, the published price of the 787 Dream Jet from Deer Jet is 500 thousand yuan per hour. And there is constant demand in the international market. Our regular customers are from Europe , the United States and the Middle East. The high-profile exhibition of dream business liner is to further develop in European nations. We hope to cooperate with Hilton Group and some other international hotel groups to successively offer a combination product which includes round trips between Hong Kong and Tahiti or Paris or Rome and complimentary upscale hotel presidential suite, which has drawn widespread attention.

Serving as an Envoy of Eastern and Western Culture

Deer Jet regards the 787 not only as a plane for achieving efficient travel, but also as a cultural carrier for promoting the Eastern and Western cultural integration.

"Deer Jet wants to make the travel to be the artist career. Exhibiting the 787 Dream Jet in Paris, a city of capital of fashion and art, has always been the thing we wanted to do." Frank Fang, the vice president of Deer Jet, said, "we can let more and more people understand the local culture when we are displaying something with Western cultural elements in the traveling exhibition. Meanwhile, we are also working to display something with Eastern cultural elements, especially Chinese works of art. We can both serve our customers and let more and more people know China. It will be an important mission for the 787 Dream Jet to promote the Eastern and Western cultural communication and integration.

There is a big demand for the 787 Dream Jet in international market now. In order to enhance the service capacity, Hainan Airlines Group proclaimed that they would import the second dream business liner 787 BBJ and hand over operations to Deer Jet so that Hainan Airlines Group could organize the biggest fleet in the world and take up the bigger portion of the international upscale business travel markets.

PARIS, June 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services, today announced the start of the HNA Open de France. The opening marks the first year that HNA Group is serving as title sponsor for the tournament, as part of a five-year commitment.

Chen Wenli, Vice Chairman of HNA Group, said, "We are excited to kick-off the HNA Open de France and to support this iconic sporting event. With HNA Group's commitment, the Open de France is now part of the Rolex Series, marking an important new milestone for a tournament that has a rich history and an even brighter future. From our terrific start this year, with a competition field comprised of professional golfers from around the world, we hope over the next five years to strengthen the position and stature of this premier tournament both in Europe and worldwide even further. We couldn't be more proud to have the opportunity to support this great game while introducing even more consumers and partners to HNA's leading travel and tourism businesses."

Mr. Wenli continued, "The HNA Open de France is the cornerstone of our Paris International Week, which recognizes our global commitment to bringing people together. This partnership will also enable us to grow our brand awareness across a wide consumer audience in connection with a prestigious event and further showcase our tourism and travel assets in one of the world's great travel destinations -- France. We are pleased to be together here in Paris and look forward to enjoying the tournament over the coming days."

The HNA Open de France will run from 29 June to 2 July at Le Golf National in Paris. Tickets are available for purchase at opendefrance.europeantour.com.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

Thales expands facility in Singapore and grows repair volume by over 30%.

Singapore becomes largest repair activities hub for Thales worldwide.

Thales in Singapore has optimised its avionics operations to grow its local industrial footprint and build capacity for the future.

Thales started its commercial avionics operations in Singapore over forty years ago and now produces key systems for the Airbus A320, A350 and Boeing 787 fleets. Singapore houses one of three avionics repair sites for the Group, with the other two located in Chatellerault, France and Piscataway, USA.

In the past year, Thales in Singapore has grown its repair volume by over 30%. In addition to providing repair operations, Thales is also providing a Customer Support Centre (CSC) for Diehl Aerospace's Singaporean subsidiary, set up in November last year to better serve its regional customers. The CSC has been operational since 1stJanuary 2017 at the expanded Thales facility in Changi North Rise.

The widened scope of the extended partnership increases Thales' repair volume in Singapore to an estimated 40,000 pieces of equipment per year, making Singapore the Group's largest centre for avionics maintenance and repair services worldwide.

The aerospace industry in Singapore has seen robust growth over the last two decades, and Singapore is home to one of the most advanced MRO clusters in the world. Singapore accounts for a quarter of the region's MRO output and Thales worked closely with the Singapore Economic Development Board in bringing the project to fruition.

This expanded facility underscores the importance of Singapore as a regional hub for the Group, as it aims to grow local capabilities and establish a strong regional base to serve customers in the Asia-Pacific region.

"The expanded Thales facility is a testament to Singapore's continued strength as an aerospace hub for Asia-Pacific and an excellent example of how we can partner OEMs to facilitate their regional expansion. Companies can tap on Singapore's connectivity, pro-business environment and pool of skilled talent, to be closer to their customers and harness the growth of the regional aviation market." saidMr. Lim Kok Kiang, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board.

About Thales

Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defence and Security markets. With 64,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of EUR14.9 billion in 2016. With over 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its exceptional international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world.

About Thales in Singapore

Thales has been in Singapore since 1973 and is today involved in the four main business areas of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Transportation. Employing over 650 people, Thales has built industrial capabilities in avionics production and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) to support regional airlines from Singapore.

In Avionics, the Singapore MRO site employs over 120 people, and has strong capabilities in repair for avionics, electrical systems and In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) equipment on a wide range of aircraft types.

Celebrates the Work of Renowned Scholar and Artist Jao Tsung-i as Part of Paris International Week

PARIS, June 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services, yesterday announced that it is hosting "Glamour of Jao's Lotus: Exhibition of Lotus-themed Artworks by Professor Jao Tsung-i" at the Paris Pagoda. The exhibition features thirty-eight paintings and calligraphies by renowned Chinese scholar and artist Professor Jao Tsung-i, and marks Professor Jao's first exhibition in France. The event will run from 27 June to 2 July 2017 and is invitation-only.

The exhibition is being held as part of HNA Paris International Week, a week-long series of events hosted by HNA Group to celebrate its global platform. The events are being held in Paris, France, in conjunction with HNA's title sponsorship of the HNA Open de France.

Lu Ying, Vice Chairman of the HNA Group Board of Directors, said, "HNA Group is delighted to introduce the important works of Professor Jao to the people of Paris. Professor Jao is one of the great minds and talents in China today; we are proud to share his artistry and to help foster an appreciation for Chinese art and scholarship with the rest of the world."

Mr. Ying continued, "As one of the few truly global companies with Chinese roots, and in keeping with the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative, HNA Group is committed to promoting cultural exchanges across our businesses, management, and philanthropic activities, while also preserving and celebrating our heritage. Our commitment to giving back, to bringing the world closer together, and to being good global citizens is deeply embedded in HNA Group's corporate fabric, and we are pleased to have this opportunity to support the arts and encourage a dialogue between East and West."

Since its founding, HNA Group has made approximately $1.5 billion in charitable contributions across a range of programs, and has donated more than $20 millionto artistic and cultural organizations in China and internationally, including the National Center for the Performing Arts, the Palace Museum, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and The Jewish Museum. In 2010, HNA Group established the Cihang Foundation as a way to broaden and further institutionalize its commitment to giving back.

About the Exhibition

The theme of the exhibition is centered around the lotus flower. In traditional Chinese culture, the lotus serves as a symbol of highly principled scholars. The works of Professor Jao convey the key ideals and principles of Confucianism, including the purity, beauty, and tranquility of the state of mind and the pursuit of noble character.

Professor Jao is a world-renowned Chinese scholar, artist, poet, and modern authority of Confucianism. Over the course of his 70-year study of sinology, Professor Jao has published over 100 books and over 1,000 articles across a wide range of disciplines. He is a highly regarded artist and has created his own style of painting and calligraphy developed from internalizing the essence of Chinese masterpieces. He has been affiliated with a number of prestigious universities around the world, and has received many distinguished honors over the course of his career, including the Prix Stanislas Julien by the College de France, the Life Achievement Award from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and the Grand Bauhinia Medal from the Hong Kong S.A.R Government. Professor Jao currently serves as the seventh President of the Xiling Seal Art Society and the Associate Foreign Member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres of the Institut de France.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

PARIS, June 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics, and financial services, on Monday announced more than $35 million in new charitable commitments to programs around the world supporting health care, education, and disaster relief.

The new commitments were spotlighted at HNA Group's annual Charity Night, held this year at the Petit Palais in Paris, France on Monday, June 26. The event, co-hosted by the Cihang Foundation, also marked the release of HNA Group's 2016 Social Responsibility Report and marked the start of HNA Paris International Week, a week-long series of events hosted by HNA Group to celebrate its global platform.

Since its founding, HNA Group has made approximately $1.5 billion in charitable contributions across a range of initiatives aimed at supporting communities and empowering individuals with the tools and skills necessary to experience all the goodness life offers.

Chen Feng, Chairman of the HNA Group Board of Directors, said, "HNA Group is built on a commitment to giving back and to helping people around the world live better lives. This week, we are celebrating HNA Group's global achievements and successes, but we have never lost sight of the responsibility we have as global citizens. I am personally very proud of what HNA Group has achieved over the past 24 years to enrich people's lives and to make the world a better place, and am pleased to continue that momentum tonight."

New Charitable Commitments

HNA Group unveiled the following new programs at its HNA Charity Night:

Launches Africa Brightness Action Program: Over the past 13 years, HNA Group's Brightness Action campaign has provided free eyesight recovery operations to more than 6,500 patients worldwide. At HNA Charity Night, HNA Group announced it would be partnering with Orbis International, an international nonprofit that fights blindness around the world, to extend that program into Africa. HNA Group plans to invest approximately $750,000 over five years to fund recovery operations, train local doctors, and improve ophthalmology in Africa. The program is expected to help improve the eyesight of 5,000 cataract patients.

Supports Higher Education in Countries along the "One Belt, One Road:" In cooperation with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), HNA Group is committed to improving higher education in countries along the "One Belt, One Road," including Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Mauritius. The company plans to invest $5 million over the next five years in higher education programs, with a focus on supporting education in scientific research and engineering.

Launches Maternal and Infant Health Care Program: HNA Group will invest $25 million over five years to help aid pregnant women and newborns in disadvantaged communities in China, Ethiopia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia. In cooperation with UNICEF, the program will fund the training of obstetricians and obstetric nurses and provide enhancements to local medical facilities in order improve the quality of infant care and neonatal nursing. The program will also set up technical training and exchange centers in China to export obstetrics rescue experience and technologies to countries along the "One Belt, One Road," and will work with local and international universities to develop teaching and training programs in order to enhance the knowledge of obstetrics worldwide.

Funds Relief Programs for Syrian Refugees: HNA Group will work with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to provide food to refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. HNA Group will print donation information on airline meal boxes provided by gategroup and other aviation food companies, and has committed to make a contribution to the WFP for each airline meal box sold. Through this program, HNA Group expects to donate $5 million over three years to the WFP, to distribute food to local refugees.

Publication of 2016 Social Responsibility Report

HNA Group also announced the publication of its 2016 Social Responsibility Report, in Chinese and English. The report outlines HNA Group's active participation in public welfare programs in health care, poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and other initiatives, and its commitment to contributing to the achievement of the United Nation's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. HNA Group has called on the public to reduce carbon emission levels through GRAIN (Green Aviation Initiatives and Networks) and has launched projects to help disadvantaged communities and improve living conditions, health care, and education through a range of global programs, including Brightness Action, Goodness Wells, HNA Sending Love back Home, Nutritious Meals in Schools in Ghana, Change for Good, and others. The full report is available for download at http://www.hnagroup.com/index.php/CSR/subpage/duty_report.

Fostering Cultural Exchanges

The program at HNA Charity Night celebrated HNA Group's commitment to encouraging cultural exchanges between East and West. The event featured the renowned children's chorus, Les Choristes, as well as a selection of Peking opera highlights performed by the former players of "Mei Lanfang Classics" from the Zheng Yici Peking Opera Theatre.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

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AIRFINTRACSRWed, 28 Jun 2017 12:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/181429-0.shtmlXIAMEN, China and LOS ANGELES, June 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 27, Xiamen Airlines formally launched the Xiamen-Los Angeles service, thethird American route following Xiamen-Shenzhen-Seattle and Fuzhou-New York services. The opening of the route means Xiamen Airlines will operate ten flights between China'sFujian province and the US weekly, creating a convenient air bridge that strengthens economic and trade ties, and enhances cultural exchanges between the US and China.

Xiamen Airlines Launches Xiamen-Los Angeles Non-Stop Service

With the continuous expansion of international and transcontinental routes in recent years, Xiamen Airlinesis well on its way to becoming a major player on the world's stage. Los Angeles is considered by many sports fans as the center of the basketball universe. On June 18th, Xiamen Airlines entered into a strategic partnership with the Yao Foundation in Beijing, whereby the two will jointly build the Egret Dreams public service brand which will help Chinese and American youth who love sports realize their dreams. In Los Angeles, the carrier has also partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the China Enterprise Council to support the 2017 "Discover China" trip for local youth, helping promote public service campaigns and events both in China and the US as well as create new cooperation opportunities.

Xiamen Airlines will operate the new route with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The MF829 flight departs Xiamen at 8 pm every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and arrives in Los Angeles at 6 pm the same day. The MF830 flight departs Los Angeles at 12:15 am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and arrives in Xiamen at 5:30 am the next day (all local times).

Los Angeles is Xiamen Airlines' fourth destination in North America. Passengers can now fly non-stop to Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver and New York, as well as seamlessly transit to 74 destinations in North America through the carrier's partners. Xiamen Airlines continues to expand its network of partners and numbers of transfer cities. To make the transit in Xiamen faster and more convenient, Xiamen Airlines has launched various transit services including free hotel stays, free transit lounges and luggage check through at its independently operated T3 terminal in Xiamen Airport.

Following the opening of the Xiamen-Los Angeles route, Xiamen Airlines will further accelerate its globalization efforts. The carrier plans to launch the Los Angeles-Qingdao-Xiamen service in December of this year, further expanding the network of routes serving Los Angeles.